Actor Ricardo Montalbán promotes the Chrysler Cordoba

“I will give you the keys of the kingdom …” – Matthew 16:19

I clearly remember when I held in my hand, for the first time, a most precious set of keys! What an incredible feeling of power, elevated status and sweet freedom came over me when my grandpa placed in my hand the keys to my first car! It was as if I had been given wings to fly!

It was a beautiful car, a mint condition brown 1972 Chrysler Cordoba with rich Corinthian leather, which my grandparents had driven for 14 years. It didn’t matter to me how old it was; it had a big powerful engine, power windows and power steering! It was awesome! But it wasn’t just the car, it was the “keys,” and all that those keys represented.

You probably have a set of keys with you now. Each one of those keys represents something; a relationship to somebody or something, or some level of responsibility! To a great extent keys represent trust. I was entrusted with keys from Gramps and it was amazing!

In Matthew’s gospel, Jesus entrusted Peter with the “keys” of the kingdom of heaven. The word for keys in Greek literally means the keys that lock or unlock. But similar to my experience with the keys to my first car, in the New Testament “keys” are a metaphor for power, authority and responsibility.

Do you remember when you entrusted the keys to your car for the first time to a friend or one of your kids? How did you feel? Did you have a wave of anxiety come over you – as you thought of your insurance premiums doubling if they got in an accident? Did you have a few concerns, “Can they handle it without misusing the power, authority and the responsibility that comes with the keys?”

I think Christians through the centuries have not always handled the “keys” of the kingdom very well. We who call ourselves Christians can be very good at making Jesus look a lot more like us than looking like the Jesus of the gospels. We often mistake our conjured up images of Jesus for reality. How many times has Jesus been recreated and reshaped by forces of human insecurity and the thirst for power and control? Oh, what a great temptation to recreate Jesus in our image.

Looking at the history of Christianity we see a shocking and dreadful landscape littered with the victims of those who have named Jesus as Lord – but what kind of Lord did they recreate and reshape him to be? J. Holub says, “Christians have used Jesus to distort people with guilt, bigotry, intolerance and anger.

“In Jesus’ name, Christians practiced slavery, defended segregation and approved lynching. In Jesus’ name, children have been abused, women diminished, the LGBT community hated, wars waged, the unrepentant condemned even tortured and executed; Jews and Muslims persecuted, doubters excommunicated and violence used to achieve conversion – all seemingly without care or conscience and often in the name of Jesus.”

Sadly, Christian history has too many distorted images of Jesus. Mahatma Gandhi once said, “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”

I wonder what the Jesus that lived and walked this earth 2,000 years ago would think if he were to return today and look around at the images of himself by the wide variety of expressions and manifestations of Christianity down through the ages. What would Jesus think?

The main idea behind the “keys” is entrusting authority and power from Jesus to the disciples and ultimately to us. But what kind of power and authority is it to be? That’s the question. What kind of power are we, you and I, entrusted with as disciples and followers of Jesus? What kind of power and authority are we to put to work for the sake of the kingdom of God in the name of Jesus? (In our families, work places, relationships, community and world.)

Let’s look at our Scripture again. These “keys” that Jesus entrusted to Peter only came after a question and a confession. “Who do people say that the Son of man is?” asked Jesus. That was not only Jesus’ question of the disciples, but it was also a heated debate in the early Christian community in the decades immediately after Jesus’ earthly life. One of the primary places that debate and that discussion took place was in the synagogue. One of the popular notions of the expected Jewish “messiah” was that this messiah would defeat and destroy Israel’s enemies, specifically the Romans. So when Peter blurts out, “You are the messiah,” in response to Jesus’ question, it was a technical term loaded with political expectations of the messiah’s expected victory over the Roman occupation.

It’s no wonder that Peter, as well as many others in the synagogue community after Jesus, simply could not accept the idea that Jesus was going to Jerusalem to die at the hands of Israel’s enemies. The messiah was expected to go to Jerusalem all right – but not to die – but to overthrow the Roman oppressors, not forgive them! “God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you!” said a very disillusioned Peter speaking out of his expectations; expectations that were blinding him to see anything new; blinding him from seeing and accepting the authentic Jesus that was standing right there in front of him!

We all live with expectations. We all know about the power of expectations. For the most part, expectations are a very good thing because they raise the bar and challenge us to new heights of accomplishment and fulfillment. But they can also blind us to others if we see others only through the lens of our expectations.

Some progressive theologians say Peter, in this story, functions as a metaphor for that kind of blindness. He couldn’t see the real Jesus right in front of him because that Jesus was not living up to his expectations of whom and what the messiah should be and do. What expectations might you have of Jesus that could be obscuring your view of the Jesus of the gospels?

Matthew tells us that from this time forward Jesus began to explain to his disciples he was headed toward a cross, and so were they if they chose to follow him. As followers of Jesus, the “keys” placed in our hands are the way of the cross. The way of the cross does not “conform” to the conventional power of this world. The conventional power of this world is the power of coercion; power exerted from the outside by a stronger entity over a weaker entity and is often experienced as oppressive.

The way of the cross, the power of sacrificial love, is a love that gives itself freely away and gets inside of people and renews them from the inside out; sets them free; gives them wings to fly to be all they can possibly be. This is the love that the disciples experienced in Jesus, and in which Jesus mentored them, and still mentors us. The power of sacrificial love; the way of the cross; the keys of the kingdom!

How many of you have seen the movie Gandhi? I remember seeing it and I’ll never forget the reaction of the crowd at the end of the movie. First of all, there was a silence, a deep silence in the theater. Second, many people just sat in their seats, not saying a word, after the closing scene of Gandhi’s cremation fire filling the big screen. In the life of this slight man with his spinning wheel, bare feet, passion for peace and passionate opposition to every form of violence, we, in that theater, had gotten a glimpse of something, a glimpse of a kind of life that made every other kind of life seem empty and missing something.

I believe the disciples and early Christian community experienced that kind of vibrant God presence in Jesus and it set them on fire! They understood that his life was about unlocking boundaries. He unlocked boundaries of race and ethnicity. He unlocked forbidden religious boundaries that separated the clean from the unclean, the righteous from the sinners. He unlocked any boundary that dehumanized or diminished another human being. J. Holub said, “The ‘keys’ with which we are entrusted are these special keys of sacrificial love that always focus on building others up, and hence, they are ‘keys’ that unlock rigid boundaries that devalue human beings.”

The “keys” of the kingdom, the way of the cross unlocks forgiveness of enemies and seeks to build bridges with our adversaries.

Jesus unlocked people trapped in the prison of fear and set them free to fulfill their humanity. The way of the cross is a journey out of fear to take risks for love’s sake in this world.

For Peter and for us, the way of the cross is dying to old ways of thinking and living and being reborn into new ways of thinking and living that are firmly grounded in our mentor Jesus and the sacrificial love that was embodied in his life.

The way of the cross is to selflessly put to work, for the sake of others, and for the sake of God’s kingdom the unique gifts, talents and skills with which each of us is blessed.

“I will give you the keys to the kingdom …” These are not merely words spoken to a few disciples of long ago. This is not ancient history, but rather it’s a promise that has been passed down through the centuries, and it flows into our hearts where among us it takes new expression again. In this faith community today this story springs to new life and is re-enacted all over again, and you and I are entrusted with the “keys” – the “keys” of the kingdom.

They have been placed in our hands; in yours and in mine. And the yet to be answered question is, “What are we going to do with them?”

Rev. Dan Koeshall is the senior pastor at The Metropolitan Community Church (The Met), 2633 Denver Street, San Diego, California, themetchurch.org. Services every Sunday at 9 and 11 a.m.

Clarence Jordan

Wow! What an amazing passage! I like Acts 4 because it gives us a peek at how the early followers of Jesus came together and lived in an authentic community.

All throughout the gospels we read that first, John the Baptist, then Jesus, preached about the immanence of the Kingdom of God (or realm of God). Jesus boldly proclaimed, “The time is fulfilled, and the realm of God is at hand; repent and believe in the good news.” Another translation says it this way, “Jesus arrived on the scene preaching, ‘Change your whole way of thinking, for a new order is emerging among you.’”

Here Jesus is making a call to the realm of God. But let’s look also, at what Jesus is not calling his followers to. Jesus, before anything, calls us not to doctrine or not to dogma, not to personal salvation, not to social action, not to a charismatic experience, not to contemplation, not to liturgical renewal. Jesus calls us to the Kingdom of God or realm of God. The realm of God is not heaven or afterlife, but the way the world could and can be according to Divine intention.

Rev. J. Holub says, “We must not forget that Jesus encouraged his disciples to pray, “Your kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven …” He didn’t say pray, “to your kingdom we wish to go in heaven.” No, it is, “Your kingdom come on earth …”

And Jesus said that participation in this realm comes through repentance, a word that has been totally misunderstood and misrepresented. It has been portrayed as a debasing attitude toward self. It makes me think of those people at the Pride parades holding up the signs, “repent sinner.” The Greek word for repentance is metanoia, which means to have the whole form, character, and all of our lives undergo a radical shift so that we might be equipped and prepared to fully participate in this new order, the Kingdom of God; an order that has emerged and found expression in the life of Jesus; an order that challenges the world and challenges us.”

Let me tell you about a man named Clarence Jordan. Clarence Jordan was a prophetic figure in the history of American Christianity. Jordan’s roots were deeply embedded in the Southern Baptist church. He graduated from Southern Baptist Seminary with a Ph.D. in Greek New Testament in 1938. He also had a degree in agriculture from the University of Georgia in 1933. During his years of formal education he became convinced that the root causes of extreme poverty, that he saw all around him in the culture of the South, were not just economic and political causes, but also spiritual.

Driven by this growing and passionate conviction, in 1942, Clarence, along with his wife and another couple, moved to a 440 acre tract of land near Americus, Ga. to create an interracial Christian farming community. They called it Koinonia, a Greek word meaning “communion” or “fellowship” that is used in the Book of Acts to describe the communities that formed around Jesus.

The residents of Koinonia pledged themselves to the values of the realm of God as proclaimed and embodied by Jesus, including equality of all persons, rejection of violence, ecological stewardship (they had Earth Day everyday) and common ownership of possessions. (Remember, this is the deep South of the ‘40s)

At first, the Koinonia community lived in relative peace with their neighbors, but as the civil rights movement of the ‘50s and ‘60s gained momentum, they were boycotted and experienced violence, including bombings. It got so bad that Jordan asked President Eisenhower for help, but he refused to intervene with any federal protection. Instead, he referred the matter to the governor of Georgia, who responded by ordering the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to investigate Koinonia for suspected communist ties which, of course, there were none. Koinonia, a community based on the life of Jesus and the realm of God, was perceived as a threat to the status quo of the culture around them and the power structure that enforced it.

Jordan refused to participate in pro-civil rights marches and demonstrations, not because he didn’t favor it, but because he believed the best way to effect change was to live a radically different life in community. Like Jesus and like the community of Acts 4, he strove to embody the Kingdom of God at Koinonia.

In case you’re wondering, Koinonia survived, and is alive and well to this day. Their mission statement says: “While honoring and including people of all backgrounds and faiths, we strive to demonstrate the way of Jesus as an alternative to materialism, militarism and racism.”

The influence of the Koinonia community has been powerful and wide-reaching. Here’s something I didn’t know. In 1965, a multi-millionaire couple visited Koinonia, planning to stay for only a couple of hours. To make a long story short, in 1968 this couple made Koinonia their permanent home. They liquidated their plentiful assets, and with Koinonia as their center of operation, they started a series of “partnership housing ventures” for the poor in Africa. And – it was the birth of Habitat for Humanity.

The life and person of Jesus and this passage from Acts spoke in powerful and transformative ways that continue to make a profound impact on the world.

How is this speaking to your heart?

It frightens me, and it excites me both at the same time. It frightens me because it challenges my whole way of thinking, doing and being and challenges many of the values I hold sacred because “a new order is emerging” that Jesus announced and embodied. It excites me for the same reason in that it contains a call into a new dimension of what it means to be a human being – as one preacher put it, a more fully human person in the image of Jesus.

Our scripture says, “There was not a needy person among them.” We are living in a time when the disparity between the haves and have-nots in almost every culture and country and continent is widening; a time when more wealth and resources are being controlled by fewer and fewer.

We are hearing, more and more, that everyone is essentially on their own. And if you happen to be poor and without means or power; a senior or very young and in need of medical care; a person that has extraordinary or special needs that are very expensive; and you have no way to change your status in life – too bad!

But Luke says, “There was not a needy person among them.” Why? Because the early communities that formed around Jesus lived with a sense of interconnectedness. They took Jesus seriously when he said things like, “In the Kingdom of God the last shall be first.” “Thy kingdom come on earth …” Do we mean it when we pray it?

I was talking with a friend this past week who said, “There’s enough to go around.” There are enough resources, food, and shelter. Do we get numb seeing the number of homeless here in San Diego?

Luke says, “great grace” was upon them. They lived with grace. Perhaps this is the key to the whole thing. Rev. Holub said, “The tragedy of contemporary Christianity since the time of the Reformation is that grace has been defined too much as a noun; as a description of a state of personal salvation and personal eternal security – rather than – the way Jesus meant it and those early followers experienced it; as a verb, that changed their whole way of thinking, doing and being because “a new order was emerging” that they experience in Jesus.”

This article raises more questions than answers, and that’s OK. It’s OK for us to struggle with this in our own community of faith and I pray that as we ask those questions in San Diego, in 2013, wherever we are, how might we resemble and embody the life of Jesus, the realm of God, and the “Koinonia” of those early faith communities.

“Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul … with great power they gave their testimony … and great grace was upon them all.”

How is the Spirit moving in you? Speaking to you?

God, listen to your children praying.

God, send your Spirit in this place.

God, listen to your children praying.

Send us love, send us power, send us grace. Amen

Rev. Dan Koeshall is the senior pastor at The Metropolitan Community Church (The Met), 2633 Denver Street, San Diego, California, themetchurch.org. Services every Sunday at 9 and 11 a.m.

Christ Rescuing Peter from Drowning, by Veneziano, 1370

I love the story in Matthew 14 where Jesus asks Peter to walk on the water – what great drama about faith! Peter was willing to risk everything on just the word of his teacher.

We hear in the Scripture that the disciples have been asked by Jesus to take a boat and go on before him to the other side of the Sea of Galilee while Jesus stays behind to dismiss the crowds that had gathered to listen to him.

By evening Jesus was alone, praying, getting in some Sabbath time and the disciples were experiencing just the opposite; far from shore, fighting against the wind and waves. They struggle almost all night against the storm that is crashing down against them, and they struggle successfully, until near dawn they see an apparition. They see something, or is it someone, walking across the water toward them; and they’re terrified! What do you do when you’re scared beyond belief? I don’t know about you, but I jump and then let out a scream and most of the time it isn’t so butch; if you know what I mean! Well, the disciples in the boat cried out in fear!

Immediately Jesus responds to the disciples fear with the words, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” I like this translation better: “Hey! Calm down! It’s me, Jesus!”

Peter is the first one to answer Jesus. “Lord, if it is you, ask me to come to you on the water.”

And Jesus answers, “Come on.” And Peter climbs over the edge of the rocking boat and puts his feet in, no, on the water and begins to walk toward Jesus! Wow!

Can you imagine what the other disciples were thinking? They’re probably yelling back, “Sit down, Pete. You’re rocking the boat! You’re going to get us all drowned!”

I love this story. It shows us what can happen when we respond to the call of Jesus; it shows us how we can triumph over fear, confusion, doubt; it shows us how, when we dare to believe the words of Jesus, his power lifts us up and allows us to weather the storms of life and do something new; something we thought impossible!

Think about it. Peter didn’t need to get out of the boat. He didn’t need to go out on the stormy waters. He could have simply stayed where he was and waited for Jesus to come to him. He could have sheltered himself in the safety of the boat in the knowledge that everything would be OK now that Jesus was coming to him and the other disciples.

But Peter needed to get out of the boat if he was going to walk on the water. If you wanna walk on water, you have to get out of the boat!

Peter took a chance. He asked Jesus to call him. He asked Jesus for the power to meet him in the middle of the storm. Peter had courage.

The courage to venture out into danger and do what Jesus has said can be done; the courage to risk taking a step that didn’t really need to be taken, but he does it simply because Jesus says it can be taken.

Jesus is saying, “You can do it! Trust me.”

I don’t know about you, but given the choice between safety, the familiar and comfort versus taking a risk, fear and the unknown what would you choose?

What are your dreams? What is your passion? What risk is Jesus asking you to take? What have you been afraid to do? What have you postponed because you dreaded the possible consequences? Who have you avoided because you didn’t know what to say to them?

Where have you refused to go because you feared what might happen there? What goal have you hid from because you felt inadequate? What dream have you let wither and die?

If you’re going to walk on water, you need to get out of the boat!

Sometimes we just need to get out of the safety of the boat and say, “Lord, if it’s you, ask me to come to you.”

I’m not saying to take a wild chance on the first thing that comes along, but I am saying if you have a dream or if you’re in a tough situation and you hear Jesus calling you to take a chance … If you see that you can do something to help someone else or simply feel that God is calling you to change something in your life, risk it!

Peter’s faith held him up. The power of Christ held him up. And Peter was going great, until he forgot about the power that he had called upon and the power that had called him.

Peter did well until he focused on the danger he was in; till he looked at the strong wind and the waves and became afraid.

Then, he began to sink.

When we take a risk; when we dare to do what God is calling us to do it is very important that we remember to stay focused on our goal; to trust that God will see us through despite what is happening all around us. Don’t focus on the fear. Don’t focus on your negative feelings.

That’s exactly what people who live by faith do. They remember that feelings can be misleading, but the truths in God’s Word are reliable, trustworthy and consistent.

When we believe and act on these truths, we experience God’s promises for us.

Peter, when he is overcome by fear, when he starts to walk according to his feelings instead of by faith begins to sink. His risk looks as though he failed, but he didn’t.

Peter sinks, but as he begins to sink Peter remembers where his help comes from and he cries out, Lord! Save me!”

And Jesus immediately reaches out his hand and catches Peter.

This is what God does when we risk as well.

When we step out; when we take a risk to come closer to God and then stumble a hand reaches out to us and lifts us up. All we have to do is remember God’s promise to always be with us.

Jesus says to Peter after reaching out to him and saving him, and I believe he says it gently, “Peter, where’s your faith? Why did you doubt me?”

When we take a risk for God; when we dare to do what is right; when we decide to go the extra mile, a mile that we don’t even need to walk but Jesus tells us we can walk; God is near to us to help us.

All we need to do is keep focused on the Source of our faith, to look to where our help comes from. All we need to do is ask for the help we need and trust that it will come.

Like Peter who stepped out of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus who had called him, we too can step out. Remember, if we’re gonna walk on the water, we have to get out of the boat!

When we do, power flows; when we do, marvelous things happen; when we do, we discover new things about ourselves.

We can risk, because we have a powerful God watching over us; we can trust, because we have a loving God caring for us; we can step out, because we have a faithful God who will save us.

If you want to walk on the water, you have to get out of the boat!

Rev. Dan Koeshall is the senior pastor at The Metropolitan Community Church (The Met), 2633 Denver Street, San Diego, California, themetchurch.org. Services every Sunday at 9 and 11 a.m.

I love worship! I love to worship! I love to worship alone and in a group. It’s such an important part of our lives and has such a great emphasis in our services. Many hours and many people go into creating our weekly worship services. Worship is so many things – and I’d like to share with you what worship is not.

Worship, very simply, is not about us – not for us. What do I mean by that? Worship is a gift that we give to someone else. Worship is for God.

The origin of our word worship is similar to the word worth. We think about what something is worth – its value. In the Book of Revelation we hear a lot about worship: “You are worthy, O God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”

Worship is for God. It’s so easy to lose sight of this truth. We often have people coming to our church to “check us out.” They say they’re church shopping. That’s great – there are so many different brands of churches and flavors of worship for so many different tastes. When I hear about church shopping, it reminds me of Goldilocks and the Three Bears: “This soup is too hot. This soup is too cold. This soup is just right!” Until someone disappoints them, because no church is perfect – because it’s made up of people!

We form opinions about all aspects of life, don’t we? We are comparison shoppers, and we make most of our decisions this way. During the past few decades this has spilled over into worship. Some writers have described this as the “worship wars;” contemporary versus traditional; my favorite style versus your favorite style and music often becomes the scapegoat in all of this. I get asked what style of worship we have on Sundays – and I say we have a blended style. It fits well for us because we’re a church made up of so many different faith backgrounds.

Now, there can be profound worship in any style, but going down the road of style leads us to the wrong place, because it places everything in the context of my preference or your taste. Worship is unique in that it’s not about your preference or mine. It’s something else altogether.

It’s not for us. It is for God. It’s the offering of our very best selves to God. There’s a deep biblical tradition of worship; of giving our best – our best offering, our first offering, the first fruits of the harvest to God. Why do most churches worship on Sundays? Because it’s the first day of the week – not the last. God’s people were instructed to give their first fruits to God. Worship is an offering of our best selves, our real selves, our authentic selves, to God.

In the sixth chapter of Isaiah we see a beautiful picture of what worship looks like. Isaiah is in the temple, overwhelmed with the beauty and glory of God, and he hears the voices singing, “Holy, Holy, Holy is the God of hosts; the whole earth is filled with God’s glory.”

What’s going on? Isaiah is having a wonderful experience of praise. Then something happens. After praise, after authentic and real worship – there’s an experience of the holy – and we see ourselves and life in a different way. Isaiah makes a confession, an acknowledgment and a true statement about himself. “Woe is me, I am lost. I am a man of unclean lips and I live in the midst of a people of unclean lips.” He was reminded, perhaps, of a time when he used his words to harm someone else or even himself. Perhaps it was in worship where he was reminded of one of the “Four Agreements:” Be Impeccable with Your Words.

“Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.”

When we worship God, we are somehow changed. This is not the purpose of worship; it’s not about us, but by experiencing God, we are transformed. In worship, God’s unique and special love for us is revealed. In worship, we might be nudged to go make amends or ask for forgiveness or forgive someone who has hurt us.

Worship is more than a relationship between God and us. When worship is authentic, when it’s an experience of the holy, there is unfinished business. God has our attention.

Back in Isaiah 6:8, “Then I heard the voice of God saying, whom shall I send, who will go for us?” Isaiah responds: “Here am I, God. Send me.”

This is a long way away from church shopping; a long way from sizing up a deity that matches our temperaments and tastes, our styles and status.

In worship, there is praise, confession and forgiveness – and in worship there is a desire to reflect God’s glory beyond the temple, outside of a church building and into the world where we live.

Worship is not about us; yet when we worship we are transformed and filled with a deep desire to reflect God’s light in the world. That’s why we support our outreach ministries into the community. That’s why we support Transgender Day of Empowerment. That’s why we have a children’s and teen’s ministry. Worship fills us with the desire to be God’s light.

Without worship we see our gifts as our own possessions; the world as a resource to be used; our neighbor as competition for those things that we want for ourselves and truth as whatever spin we can put on it.

Passionate worship changes all of life. I think miracles take place in worship. Sometimes someone will make a comment like “our attendance was a little down this morning.” My thought is usually, “I’m just grateful for those who came to worship!” I mean, why would anyone leave the comfort and warmth of their bed on a Sunday morning; put expensive gasoline in their cars; search for a parking place that sometimes is a ways away; drink coffee that may not be as good as you make at home; sit in a room that is usually either too hot or too cold and sometimes next to people you don’t even know? Why would people do this?

It makes no sense unless there’s a God who is real; who is above us and beyond us but also beside us and within us; who created and sustains all things; who is worthy of our worship.

Rev. Dan Koeshall is the senior pastor at The Metropolitan Community Church (The Met), 2633 Denver Street, San Diego, California, themetchurch.org. Services every Sunday at 9 and 11 a.m.

A few weeks ago I participated in a community foot-washing service celebrating freedom and justice, and supporting comprehensive immigration reform creating a pathway to citizenship. Jesus is our role model in being active in social justice and advocacy and it felt so right to be there.

The words of San Diego Council President, Todd Gloria, and Dr. Delores Jacobs, touched a chord in our hearts at our Community Call to Prayer service as we prayed for marriage equality, meditated, sang and wrote prayers and put them on our Tree of Justice. We don’t know for sure what the U.S. Supreme Court is going to do – however, emotions are all over the place: anxiety, hopefulness, giddiness and fear – all we can do is wait – it’s like we’re in limbo – like we’re stuck.

Stuck is also a way to describe Mary Magdalene. Mary is on her way to the cemetery. She’s in a strange town, following a path that’s been zigzagging every which way – especially this past week. It’s dark when Mary starts out for the tomb, really more like Saturday night than Sunday morning. The darkness fits Mary’s mood. A few fleeting memories of the past – like that time when she witnessed Jesus’ miracle that fed the 5,000 still aren’t enough to lift her gloom. So, what do you do when your hero has died? Try to keep busy, I guess.

When Mary rounds the last corner, it feels like she’s taken a wrong turn. The tomb has no stone. She looks inside and finds it empty. Panic sets in. What’s happened to Jesus? A terrible Friday afternoon has suddenly turned into a long, agonizing Saturday night. And Mary is stuck!

Do you ever have feelings of being stuck? No job prospects, school’s not going well, family not getting along, the test results were scary, and your plans aren’t coming together like you thought they would.

Stuck is a Saturday sort of feeling. What do we do? Sometimes we grab a quart of ice cream or a bag of potato chips, curl up on the couch and watch old movies. Sometimes we do just the opposite. We get busy – study harder, dust off the resume, make an appointment to see the doctor.

But what do we do if we’re out of options – if we don’t have a plan B? If it feels like we’re stuck between waiting for a ruling on the validation of marriage being an option for you? Or the desperate need for immigration reform and a pathway to citizenship for so many contributing citizens. What do we do? We can pray. We can hope. We can encourage each other. “There’s a land that I heard of once in a lullaby … somewhere over the rainbow!”

Mary goes back to the garden and cries her eyes out. Someone who seems to be the gardener comes up behind her and whispers, “Mary.” It takes her breath away. “You’re here! You’re alive!” After getting over the shock – Mary throws her arms around Jesus – at least she tries to – and doesn’t want to let go. “Rabboni – Teacher,” she calls him. It’s an old familiar name. “Let’s go back to Galilee,” she’s saying, “It was so much better there.” But Jesus has other ideas: “Don’t cling to me, Mary. Easter has happened. We can’t go back to the way things were.”

Do you see where this story is going? Sometimes in life we get stuck. Hopes get dashed, dreams turn to nightmares, and disappointment sets in. We might have a plan B. We might not … at least not anything we can think of.

I’ve got good news for you. God is in the idea business. God has a way of coming to us when we least expect it – like for Mary in the garden. God has a way of dreaming up new possibilities. “The way out of the darkness,” God says, “is by trusting me. Resurrection is a movement toward the future.”

Well, guess what? It takes a lot of trust to leave the past behind. It’s especially hard when it’s dark outside and you can’t see where you’re going. This past month I’ve done more funerals than in a long time. There have been the deaths of family members and partners and loved ones – and it’s not easy.

In times like this, it feels that there is more darkness than light for us. It feels very personal. Something inside desperately wants to believe – needs to believe – that Jesus wasn’t simply victorious over death in some general sense, but that he is victorious over this death that’s so fresh for me.

The Easter story gets personal whenever Jesus comes and calls us by name. He shows up in the most ordinary circumstances; a woman crying in a garden, two men walking along a road, some fishermen out on a lake and a woman at a well. These appearances aren’t much to go on. They don’t prove anything. But somehow, for the people involved, they’re enough. Every time Jesus comes to people, they seem to become a little stronger, a little more hopeful. Every time he comes to them, they become a little more like him. And in one fearful, stuck, heart at a time, an Easter faith is born.

Let me share with you a personal story. After seminary, I was on a career path with the church I grew up in. I loved that church. It was all I knew. I was committed to God and the teachings of the church – except for the gnawing truth that wouldn’t go away, no matter how hard I tried, that I was a gay man. And being gay and Christian just didn’t work in that faith system. According to them, I was going to hell.

I knew it was only a matter of time before the other shoe dropped and I was going to be kicked out of the church I had been at for 10 years in Escondido. The office administrator told me about a mysterious phone call to my pastor, asking if I worked there and if she could speak privately to him. I had a strange feeling in my gut when the office administrator told me the pastor came out of his office after that phone call with a piece of paper asking where the paper shredder was. Later, that evening after choir rehearsal, I took the shreds of paper out and took them home with me and started to piece them together, just like in the movie Argo. I then found out that it was a friend from seminary in whom I had confided, and she felt it was her Christian duty to “out” me to the senior pastor. I knew I was going to fall, but I didn’t know how far it would be. I was scared. I was living in the dread – the waiting – the limbo – feeling stuck!

I had heard about a church called Metropolitan Community Church in a book I had read. So, I looked it up in the phone book, and sure enough, there was one in San Diego. I was so paranoid and fearful, that I drove to a carwash and went to a payphone to make the call so it couldn’t be traced – and made an appointment to see the pastor.

Rev. Tony listened to me, prayed with me and I started attending the Saturday Night Service here – then going back and leading worship on Sunday mornings in Escondido. Talk about being between two worlds! It was here, I heard of God’s love for me – as I was – and I knew it was real. And when I accepted that love and started living in it – no matter how difficult the time was for me – I had hope. I didn’t even see a future for me, but I had hope. All I knew was feeling lost, but I had hope. All I had worked for I felt was going to be gone, but I had hope. I felt like Mary coming to the empty tomb on Saturday night.

I’m forever grateful to God and MCC for catching me as I was falling. I’m so grateful that I heard Jesus whisper my name – that there was a future and a hope for me. And not only survive the devastation, but thrive! Since coming out, I’ve met the best people in the world, and am so honored and humbled to work in the most fabulous church in San Diego and be your pastor! At my lowest, God was with me through the love of this church. Praise God!

Easter faith is born one heart at a time. It takes trust to live an Easter faith in a Saturday sort of world. Saturday is the day between the tragedy of Friday and the victory of Sunday. On Saturday you might have to trust while waiting for a ruling. On Saturday you might experience waves of grief. On Saturday the nights are dark and the roads zigzag every which way. On Saturday it’s so easy to get lost. On Saturday if feels like there’s no more hope.

What do you do? You wait and you pray and you trust like crazy! If you’re feeling stuck, you might get up early and start for the tomb. And who knows, maybe when you least expect it – the Risen Christ will come to you and speak your name and say, “I’m alive.” Maybe say, “I want you to let go of those old tapes from your past – your fears and failures and disappointments – and follow me. I’m alive.” Maybe say, “I want to give you a future and a hope. Trust me. I love you. I’m alive.”

Amen.

Rev. Dan Koeshall is the senior pastor at The Metropolitan Community Church (The Met), 2633 Denver Street, San Diego, California, themetchurch.org. Services every Sunday at 9 and 11 a.m.

Rev. Dan Koeshall Todd Gloria and Dr. Delores Jacobs

I am sometimes asked that if Jesus were walking the earth today, whether he would be standing up for social justice issues and promoting human rights. I immediately answer, “Yes.”

In looking at his life, all he did and all he was, that answer is a no-brainer. From tax collectors to shepherds to fishermen to Mary Magdalene, like colors in a rainbow, Jesus hung out with all “stripes” of people; especially the marginalized, the poor and the disadvantaged. It is no stretch to picture him today at a peaceful protest, testifying before Congress, or washing the feet of workers as I did at the Foot Washing Ceremony and Passover Ritual at St. Paul’s Cathedral during Holy Week.

And I don’t think it impossible to envision him supporting marriage equality. After all, Jesus was about inclusion, fairness and justice and love. Just as he physically did with the temple moneychangers, he upended the traditional “carts” of thinking of the time.

Another champion of justice, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “The arc of history bends towards justice.” But like a flexible rod, that bend sometimes has a back-and-forth motion. We have certainly seen that with marriage equality. I reflect back Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2008. Like so many, I had conflicting emotions as the election results came in; ecstatic with the election of our first African American president and devastated with the news that Prop. 8 had passed despite the massive effort by so many. We endured other defeats and yet, finally, we sense that we are on the brink of unparalleled forward-moving momentum for LGBT rights and equality.

Rev. Dan Koeshall and Kevin Beiser

In that spirit the community gathered at Metropolitan Community Church for a noontime Community Call to Prayer for Marriage Equality March 25. It was a service of prayer, music, mediation and readings of scripture and quotes from notable people supporting the freedom to marry, on the eve of the Supreme Court hearings on Prop. 8 and DOMA.

We heard inspiring perspectives from San Diego City Council President Todd Gloria and CEO of our LGBT Center, Dr. Delores Jacobs, who have worked tirelessly on behalf of justice and equality. Kevin Beiser of the San Diego Unified School Board was also in attendance. Together everyone assembled sang “We Shall Overcome,” a reminder of another great and ongoing struggle.

During a time of reflection, many people wrote prayers, hopes, dreams and affirmations regarding marriage equality on small, colorful notecards and tied them to our Tree of Justice. Our congregation and guests continue to add to the tree, which will remain in our main church foyer until the U.S. Supreme Court rulings, likely in June.

We also included an ecumenical prayer of aspiration and hope:

Tree of Justice

“We give thanks, O Divine Source, Creator of Freedom, Author of Justice, Foundation of Love, for Your abiding presence and wise counsel. In this season of new life and fulfillment of promise, we rejoice in the breaking of bonds that hold us back. In the power of inalienable truth, we celebrate all that is good, all that brings light and hope to the world, and all that enables people to rise to their greatest potential! May we be inspired and empowered to remove barriers that stand in the way of what is fair and just, fosters equality, and nurtures us in naturally loving – and being loved by – whomever that may be. For it is in love, that we find our renewal, our liberty, ourselves and our God.”

We came together for the service because the LGBT community stands at the threshold of a major potential victory. We gathered as a united community, LGBT and our allies, to be the voice that is needed for “such a time as this.” President Obama himself set the tone for this effort in his inaugural address when he spoke so movingly of Seneca Falls, Selma and Stonewall, linking forever the struggles for women’s rights, civil rights and LGBT rights.

And not stopping there, along with many others, he wrote an amicus brief for the hearings. As Bob Dylan so famously sang, “the times they are a-changin’.”

Last November voters in Maine, Maryland and Washington State approved same-sex marriage, and in Minnesota a restrictive amendment was defeated. That “arc” is visibly bending. In one recent poll, reports the Washington Blade, 58 percent of Americans now support marriage rights for same-sex couples.

Tree of Justice

I have faith that we will, once again, hear the bells chime for our marvelous weddings. Where the press and cameras won’t be reporting on the phenomenon because it will be common place and old news! Where I will be able to say, like I did in that four-month window of equality in 2008, “By the power vested in me by Metropolitan Community Churches and the state of California, I pronounce that you are married!” Then comes that delightful kiss! How sweet it is! And for people of faith, victory will come not in spite of our faith, but indeed because of it.

With the U.S. Supreme Court hearings, and now the months of waiting for a ruling, emotions are overwhelming; anxiety, hopefulness, giddiness and fear. For that reason, perhaps it was ideal that we concluded our special service by singing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”

After all, don’t we believe that the “dreams that you dare to dream really do come true”? We have perhaps tipped a cart that just can’t be put back. After the “storm” of Nov. 4, 2008, we sense a coming rainbow, one way or another.

And it is going to be fabulous. And blessed.

Rev. Dan Koeshall is the senior pastor at The Metropolitan Community Church (The Met), 2633 Denver Street, San Diego, California, themetchurch.org. Services every Sunday at 9 and 11 a.m.

Entry of Christ into Jerusalem (1320) by Pietro Lorenzetti

Imagine I have two glass mugs. One is filled with sand, and the other with rocks. They symbolize the ways we can order our lives. The sand symbolizes the millions and millions of little details that fill our days – what to eat, what to wear, what to watch on TV, etc. The rocks are the big things, like family and loved ones, or church or a job that provides for you, or taking Sabbath time.

Here’s the illustration – if you pay attention to the little things first, that’s all you’ll ever get to. You can’t put the big rocks in if you put the sand in your jar first. The point is, if you put the big things first, everything else will fall into place. What a great image!

Now wouldn’t it be great, after seeing this fabulous illustration that it would guarantee our lives from this point on will be so neatly ordered. As they say, the devil is in the detail.

It’s so easy to get buried in the little things – consumed by the tyranny of the urgent. If we don’t pay attention, the big things, like time with our loved ones; savoring meals instead of shoveling down the food; Sabbath rest with God, those things too often get left behind. Our lives get filled with the little things, and there’s all sand, and no room for the big things. Can you identify with this?

In the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes the Teacher has done plenty of reflecting. The Teacher-writer has seen what’s good about life – good food, meaningful work, healthy relationships – and come to the conclusion that the best thing we can do is enjoy these things. And the Teacher’s been pretty honest too; that more often than not, people have their sand and their rocks out of order. That too many days are spent “chasing after the wind.”

It’s so easy to go through life and before you know it, our lives are filled up. At some point, we need to be intentional about how we’re living our lives … intentional, so that there’s room for the important things in our lives.

Being intentional is not the same as being in control. But neither is it throwing up your hands and saying, “Oh well!” Living with intentionality means knowing what’s important to you. It means taking an honest look at whether the path you’re on reflects that.

For example, if you want to retire comfortably, you need to save some of your money instead of having to buy the latest gadget that you just can’t live without. If you don’t want to be alone, then you need to make the effort to reach out instead of waiting for people to come to you. If you want to be healthy, you have to watch what you eat and get some daily exercise.

A life of intentionality takes work. You might have heard the saying, “Most people don’t plan to fail. They just fail to plan.” When we fail to plan, we end up being pulled in a million different directions. But when we know where we want to go, we’re much more likely to get there and more likely to find peace, joy and satisfaction along the way.

A few weeks ago we, the Christian faith, celebrated Palm Sunday. Crowds gathered and shouted, “Hosanna! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” I wonder who the people were in the crowd that day. After all, there was a much bigger parade happening on the other side of town. The Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, was arriving in town about the same time.

Now that would’ve been something to see! I’m sure the horses were bigger and stronger than many of the people had seen before; the armor of Pilate’s entourage would’ve sparkled in the sun, and all of the most important people of Jerusalem would’ve been there showing up to give their necessary allegiance to the Roman empire.

But you wouldn’t have found signs of power and grandeur in the parade surrounding Jesus coming into town from the east. It’s safe to say that his crowd was looking for something different from the one that clamored to get a glimpse of Pilate.

It wouldn’t surprise me that the largest number in the crowd would have been the same people whom Jesus met throughout the previous three years. They were the people who had experienced pain and brokenness in life; and those whom society’s systems had failed them; and those who were marginalized. They were the ones who had been delivered; the ones who were blind but now could see, surrounded by the little children whom Jesus always welcomed.

In all of the excitement, in the festive almost electric atmosphere, Jesus says nothing. There are no promises or stump speeches. It’s not a political rally or even a candidate’s appearance at the local Passover parade. It seems that Jesus is focused on another time and another place.

Yes, something is happening … these two parades coming into Jerusalem will meet. In less than a week, people will dramatically change allegiances, but not yet, not now. This parade is only the beginning. The stage is not yet fully set. The people will have to wait to see how Jesus will respond to their hosannas.

Isn’t that the hardest part, the waiting, the not knowing what life will hold? The uncertainty of the future makes people who like control, like me, kind of crazy. Sometimes we’d like God to act with more immediacy, in a way that gives us what we want when we want it – rather than the promise to be with us in a life with so many variables, where God gives us the choice to fill our lives with the little things (sand) that consume us, or the big things (rocks) that are life-giving and affirming.

I’ve got good news; Jesus saves us from the need for control, from our need to use power or fear to get what we want. We can have faith and trust within us so that we can continue stepping forward in life without having to know all the answers all the time. The triumphal entry sets the stage for us to get lost in the mystery of God, and God’s awesome love for us. You are loved!

Rev. Dan Koeshall is the senior pastor at The Metropolitan Community Church (The Met), 2633 Denver Street, San Diego, California, themetchurch.org. Services every Sunday at 9 and 11 a.m.

Marva Dawn has written a book called Keeping The Sabbath Wholly. She’s a great writer. The book is practical yet able to draw this beautiful picture of what Sabbath time with God can be, and what’s at stake if we don’t make time for it. In the book she describes the wonderful shape Sabbath might take when we stop working, stop worrying and stop trying to stuff 200 hours worth of activity into our 168-hour weeks.

Making Sabbath time might include things like savoring a relaxing meal. Enjoying a leisurely walk outside. Shutting all work-related books and papers away into a cabinet … out of sight, out of mind. Right? Inspiring book – right?

Until you get to chapter 4, when she casually mentions that she’s a single person with no children and an academic’s schedule. At this point, many people might be tempted to toss the book aside and give up.

Rev. Shelley Cunningham put it this way. “I know I need Sabbath. I don’t know how to get it, but I need it. So, I’ve tried to tackle this whole Sabbath idea in more bite-sized portions. Less like Sabbath ‘chunks’ and more like Sabbath ‘moments.’”

I’m still going to the gym and working out and I’ve been told to get at least 30 minutes of exercise a day. Sometimes it’s hard to find the time to do it – so, if you can’t do it all at once, try for three 10-minute increments.

Instead of thinking I can’t possibly find a whole day for rest, try for a few minutes every day. Light candles at dinner. Pick up your Bible or a devotional instead of Words with Friends before you go to sleep. Breathe deeply, especially when you’re about to get upset! I’m a work in progress. You’re a work in progress. It’s about intentionally asking what is God inviting me to do in this moment?

Sabbath is better in community.

We hear this in Ecclesiastes, “Two are better than one, for they can help one another succeed.

If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. One person standing alone can be defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer.”

As a single person, this text can feel like just one more reminder that I’m going at it without a partner. I’ve read this at so many holy unions and weddings – and I am sincerely happy for the couple, but in my mind I’m asking, “When will it be my turn?” Always the preacher and never the bride!

Being single can seem magnified when it seems the world is made for couples. But let’s be honest, just because you’re in a relationship doesn’t mean you can’t feel alone. In fact, if your relationship is unhealthy or dysfunctional or just plain dead, you might feel even more alone.

Dorothy Day once described her life as “the long loneliness.” I get that feeling sometimes – Don’t you? But she also said, “We have all known the long loneliness, and we have learned that the only solution is love, and that love comes with community.”

Not just with a spouse, or with a partner, or with children. But with others – people of all ages and shapes and colors. With God’s fabulous creation who can be on the journey with us.

It’s that we’re aware of it. We’re paying attention to what God is doing. We’re looking for God’s presence. Isn’t that part of what Sabbath keeping is all about? An increased sense of the holy all around us?

Oh, the power of community. There are wonderful implications to the value of community when it comes to Sabbath – both in the way we keep it, and that we do keep it. For one thing, there’s the accountability factor. It’s way too easy to let things slip when we have only ourselves to answer to. There is a time and a season for everything under the sun. Community helps us see things about ourselves we can’t necessarily see.

Who do you have in your life who can help you focus on time with God? And, who can you help keep focused?

When we come together as a community, we are reminded that God says we’re wonderful, beautiful, unique – awesome! When the world around us might be telling us otherwise. Or when we’re listening to old tapes from our parents or the churches we grew up in. Knowing who we are is so very helpful when it comes to feeling connected to God. It’s a reminder of who we are and whose we are. This kind of community is essential. Never underestimate the kind of effect you have on people and the gifts that you bring to others.

But just as important, is that community brings a measure of truth to the limits we have. That’s where Sabbath comes in. You can’t do everything. You don’t have to fix everything. And Sabbath is our way to remember that.

Last week I had a vacation that turned into a staycation. It started on Monday. I was talking with my neighbors and they said they had thrown wildflower seeds in a portion of my front yard that I had pretty much neglected for the past couple of years, and those wildflowers were starting to spring up and grow! I thought to myself, Oh my – they’re getting tired of looking at weeds and want to see something pretty.

So, since I had some time I was able to take a closer look – and sure enough, I could see wildflowers growing here and there. And I knew I’d never be able to enjoy them if I didn’t get rid of the grass and weeds that were already choking them. Someone asked me how I spent my vacation – and I responded – “on my knees!” I was in my front yard, on my knees pulling weeds – in the dirt. And I thought, this is a huge project, and I could complain about my aching back – but then, it started to become fun. It was therapeutic. I had time to think. I didn’t have music on, only the sound of the birds. Butterflies would wisp by me and I’d get a whiff of a flowering tree on the other side of the yard. A hawk even came and landed in my birdbath and stayed there for quite awhile before hopping off and getting a lizard and flying off – not 20 feet from me!

I had time to think – and let my mind wander. I was so grateful for the opportunity to have the time (to take the time) to take a closer look. Because it was in taking a closer look I was able to see the wildflowers. Sabbath–taking is natural therapy. And I sure was getting a big dose of it and I knew healing was taking place on many hidden levels despite the cramps and aches.

You know, no one ever said this process would be easy. It’s not easy. But it is important. And it does matter. So keep trying. Keep paying attention. Because whatever this theme of Sabbath-keeping is doing in you, one thing is certain: God is stirring you. God is touching a nerve, speaking to your heart, showing you just how much you need Sabbath rest and peace.

And I trust that as this season goes along, we will be changed. Because when God starts stirring, things happen – holy things. And there’s a joy that comes in experiencing those things with others. Amen

Rev. Dan Koeshall is the senior pastor at The Metropolitan Community Church (The Met), 2633 Denver Street, San Diego, California, themetchurch.org. Services every Sunday at 9 and 11 a.m.

wtf? where’s the faith?

BY REV. DAN KOESHALL

One of the things I love about our church is the diversity we have. Look around – people come from all walks of life and from many different denominations, church experiences and spiritual paths. We are a community church built on the premises of what our founder, Troy Perry called the three-prong gospel: Christian salvation, Christian community and Christian social action. All are welcome here.

Our approach to faith and Christianity is one of openness, inclusiveness and even exploration. In striving to embrace and celebrate diversity, we don’t say what or how a person has to believe in order to find full fellowship in this community of faith. Everyone is encouraged to bring their own personal perspectives, questions and doubts. Some would call this progressive Christianity – open to considering new ideas and understandings. God is not neatly tucked into a box.

I am blessed to meet with a full range of clergy, imams and rabbis throughout the year. It’s enriching and invigorating to my spirit. God is so big! So, what does this have to do with Easter?

Rev. Fred Plumer told of how he was asked the question, “Do you think the Easter Story is true?” He answered the question as fast as he was asked it, “It must be true. I don’t think the church would have survived for 2,000 years if it wasn’t.” Hmm … that’s a long time.

And here we are – in 2013 – still telling the story of Jesus and what is true are those timeless lessons that Jesus left his followers and ultimately us. What is true is that anyone can experience the “kingdom” or the Realm of God. What is true is that when we experience that Realm, we wouldn’t want to live any other way. And then Jesus told his followers how to do it.

He told us that he could not do it for us. It’s up to us to choose to walk the path. It’s up to us to learn to live a certain way, to think a certain way and to be a certain way. It’s up to us to develop the eyes to see and the ears to hear that the world around us and all we come in contact with are part of God’s creation.

What is true is that when we learn to take responsibility for our actions, make amends for those whom we have harmed and change what we have to change, so that it won’t happen again, then our lives will be different. We’ll begin to experience a true freedom.

What is true is that if we begin to trust that God ultimately has our best interest at heart, we might discover that everything that we do, every action we take, every mistake that we make becomes a new lesson and an opportunity – a lesson we needed to learn. And if we learn from those lessons and put them in perspective we’ll begin to live a full and spiritually fulfilling life.

Rev. Plumer went on to say that what is true is that if we want to stop feeling lonely, if we want to stop feeling isolated, if we want to experience God’s light in others and in ourselves, we have to learn how to stop judging others. For as long as we are judging others, we are judging ourselves, we are judging the world and we are judging God the Creator.

What is true is that learning to forgive others and ourselves is the first step to true freedom. If we want to move forward with our lives, if we want to lift the burdens from our back and remove the stones from our hearts, we must learn to forgive those who we believe have harmed us. Carrying the weight of anger, or judgment, or hurt around, because we cannot let it go, is simply debilitating.

What is true is that we need to learn to love the way God loves us; the way a mother loves her unborn child. When we learn to love our neighbor, even our enemies, as we love ourselves, all of the false barriers, prejudice, racism, classism, ageism and so many other “isms” begin to fall away. When we reach out in compassion to one who needs us or can learn from us, or can be healed by us, then we discover God’s light in them and it helps our light burn brighter. Then we discover we are all connected – we are not alone.

What is true, he goes on, is that if we want to experience the Realm of God, we need to live with a generous heart. We need to be generous with our love, with our time, with our assets. When we hold back, when we hold on, when we try to control and horde anything, it will rot in our hearts; it will spoil in our storage units; it will build up spiritual cholesterol in our lives. Jesus taught that we should not worry about what we eat, what we drink or what we wear or how long we will live. What is true is that when we live with a generous heart we learn that our attachments can become our prison and we can discover how to be free.

What is true is that Jesus taught that life is a gift – it is a rare and precious opportunity. If we treat it like a gift to be cherished, to be celebrated, to be appreciated, our lives will take on new meaning. Our death will have no sting. Life is an opportunity, not a chore that we must simply trudge through.

Jesus didn’t necessarily do something for us through his death; he did something for us through his life! He taught his followers with parables and told them to “go and do likewise.” We are to live it; to risk it; to become it.

If the Easter Story is true, (and I believe it is), it means we have to rethink our values, our priorities, our lives. It means we have to learn to trust God, to give up some of the control we hold on to. It means we have to let go of the attachments that we believe define us. It means we have to stop trying to be No. 1 or feeling badly because we’re not No. 1 and learn how to live as one within God’s great creation, by how we love.

Jesus shared the truth that the Realm of God, that ultimate relationship with God and with one another was available to anyone. That’s the Good News that we celebrate on Easter Sunday; that’s the good news that we can celebrate every day.

How can you know that it is true? Jesus said, “You will know by the fruit that it bears.” In other words, you will know by the peace, the fulfillment, by the contentment, by the joy that it brings to you. You will know it by living it.

There’s a song I grew up singing in church and there is a line in it that says, “You ask me how I know he lives – he lives within my heart.”

My prayer is that you will each experience new life and your own (personal) life-giving truths – and that you live in the love and resurrection power of the Risen Christ! Amen.

Rev. Dan Koeshall is the senior pastor at The Metropolitan Community Church (The Met), 2633 Denver Street, San Diego, California, themetchurch.org. Services every Sunday at 9 and 11 a.m.

PHOTOS.COM

You are cordially invited to join me in celebrating my birthday at The Center – Tuesday, April 2, 6:30 p.m. Only $20 for dinner and dessert catered by Babbo’s Restaurant. All proceeds benefit the outreach of MCC – our Community Church!

Have you ever tried to rest, unplugging from all your electronic devices and screens, spending an intentional day delighting in the beauty all around us? It’s a nice thought – and it’s difficult.

We are busy and there are distractions everywhere. I can take my day off, and I really try to honor my day off, and I can have the best intentions of setting the whole day apart to enjoy the blessings that God has given me. But then as the day goes on, thoughts about work, and conversations, and tasks I need to get done around the house start popping into my head. The demands and distractions around me try to get my attention and distract me from any attempt to find holiness. Can you identify with this?

When I’m trying to have an intentional Sabbath rest unto God, there are times when I almost feel in a panic. “How can I relax when I have all this work to do?” “Why did I say yes to that commitment at this time?” “Oh yeah, I need to get back to that person about what we talked about two weeks ago.” “I had something I was going to do, now, where did I put that stuff?” “How can I expect to get everything done on my to do list this week, it really would be easier if I did some of it today?” Then I start to think, “Oh no, now I’m not doing Sabbath well.” Ahhhh!

It’s endless. If you’re like me, the flow of work we can imagine doing, is always going to be greater than our ability to actually do it. One of the things about Sabbath-keeping is that it has to be an intentional decision. Nothing in our 24/7 world is going to allow it just to happen. We have to make it happen or it won’t happen at all.

Keeping the Sabbath means that we will choose to play, choose to rest, choose to cease our attempts to try and control everything and do everything in our lives, choose to trust that God provides all we need, in spite of the never ending flow of things that rush in at us from all sides. And, keeping the Sabbath means we also choose not to feel guilty about it.

Here’s one way to look at it. Making the choice to play, relax and enjoy the Sabbath one day a week is like building a wall of protection around you – and that wall holds things in your life at bay, like insulation. It’s like having an army of guardian angels around you, shielding you, protecting you from things that would sap your energy if you let it.

When you are in the habit of Sabbath-keeping, you begin to have a different perspective; you can see the life you’ve been given more clearly. There is space – holy space – and I believe holy space to play in while you’re there.

Theologian Eugene Peterson says, “Sabbath is uncluttered time and space in which we can distance ourselves from our own activity long enough to see what God is doing.” In this time and space you can take a breath and honestly answer the question in the reading, “What gain have the workers from their toil?” For some reason, Dolly Parton’s song, “Working 9-5” pops into my head.

“What do I really get for all of my hard work?” If the answer to this question is more hard work, more headaches, more stress, then maybe it’s time to reassess what you’re attempting to do.

A Sabbath day allows you to take an inventory of what God is doing in your life. You have a chance (space) to see those relationships that bring meaning and joy. You think of those people who bring you life and enrichment. You can take an inventory of the people you’re actually surrounding yourself with.

Another thing the Sabbath day allows you to do is to find the time for things you might otherwise never have time for. Maybe you love to play an instrument, but don’t usually have time for it. You dust it off and, wow, you’re making music like you did a long time ago! Maybe you spend 60 hours a week inside a building or a cubicle and yearn for a walk on the beach or a bike ride along some trails. Sabbath-keeping allows you do to those things.

But more important than anything, God’s design of the Sabbath helps us to balance work with play. God doesn’t always want us to take ourselves so seriously. Really! As I’ve been told before, lighten up!

There are a lot of strange and bizarre stories in the Bible that give us glimpses of God’s sense of humor. In the book of Numbers there’s a story about a guy named Balaam. He often took himself too seriously. He was once ordered by the king of Moab to come and curse the Israelites. (They were arriving from their 40 years journey in the wilderness.) At first Balaam refused, because he had listened to God. But after being asked several times, he finally gives in and goes with the king’s messengers. His one condition is that he will only do what God tells him to do. The problem is that he is so sure of his work – and going to do it no matter what – that he doesn’t see God’s angels who keep showing up to stop him from going any further.

He doesn’t see them, but his donkey that he’s riding does. When the donkey sees the angels, she first runs off the path, then she tries to scrape him off her back against a wall, and then she finally lies down, refusing to go another step. Each time, Balaam gets angry and hits the donkey.

That’s when God’s sense of humor comes in (and I believe compassion for the donkey.) God gives the donkey the ability to talk. She shoots back at him saying, “What have I done to you that you hit me three times?” (This is better than Shrek!)

He replies, “You made me look like a fool.” To which the donkey replies, “You’ve ridden me your whole life, have I ever done anything like this before?” Balaam admits, “No.” Now who’s the fool? It’s so crazy, you just have to laugh!

Balaam finds himself arguing with his donkey, and in the end, he is outwitted by her and loses the argument! He was so sure he was in control that he didn’t pick up on the fact that God was trying to do a new thing right there in front of him. And God would use a talking donkey to make this happen. Has that ever happened to you? Not that a donkey has talked back to you, but that a person you least expected to bring wisdom to a situation does just that?

Sometimes we need to just stop and smile … better yet, let out a chuckle or an outright belly laugh. Relying on some humor and light heartedness could be just the thing that is needed to get unstuck.

There is a wonder and openness to God that is available when we just slow down; when we choose to play in the world once in a while, rather than work so hard and take ourselves so seriously that we come to believe our entire world depends only on us.

Let me share a story with you, a true story that took place in a Catholic School in Michigan where someone on staff used to be a teacher. Every year the school put on a production and each class was responsible for their own skit. So the first graders were up and since they were the first ones part of their skit and part of their greeting to everyone was that they were to come up on stage carrying the letters spelling HELLO. When the children came up carrying the letters, the little girl carrying the O went to the wrong end of the line, and people burst out laughing. And the nun who was the first grade teacher was mortified. Here she thought she had everything in control, and one misplaced letter can shatter the illusion that we are in control and the most important person at that moment!

Without holy play to balance our work, things get fuzzy – they get out of focus. Reality gets distorted and we think we’re all that and a bag of chips and our own sense of the space we take up in the world gets larger and larger. Maybe that’s why John the Baptist told his followers, “[Christ] must increase, but I must decrease.”

No matter what our work is, being an accountant, educating the next generation, caring for the sickest people or developing the next technological breakthrough in supercomputing, answering the telephone or making sure that people from all walks of life feel welcome in our faith community, these efforts alone can all be chalked up to chasing after the wind.

If our work is the only way we define ourselves, we join Balaam in making ourselves the fool. Without making Sabbath time, where we delight in what God has done and is doing in the world, we will lose our sense that God is the source of our lives and our passions and the source of all of our blessings.

Sabbath rest and play is like rebooting your computer or tablet when it starts doing wacky things.

Sabbath-keeping recalibrates reality, making it possible for us to see the value of our work (whatever we do for a living) as a small part of the greater work of God. Amen.

Rev. Dan Koeshall is the senior pastor at The Metropolitan Community Church (The Met), 2633 Denver Street, San Diego, California, themetchurch.org. Services every Sunday at 9 and 11 a.m.

You are cordially invited to join me in celebrating my birthday at The Center – Tuesday, April 2, 6:30 p.m. Only $20 for dinner and dessert catered by Babbo’s Restaurant. All proceeds benefit the outreach of MCC – our community church!

Like some of you, I was raised in a Christian tradition and was taught to observe Sundays as a special day of rest, seeing Sunday as the Sabbath. And the way it felt to me was more like a bunch of do’s and don’ts. It was about rules and regulations. However, there definitely was a change of pace on Sundays.

We couldn’t mow the lawn or do yard work – no matter how nice a day it was – because, “What would the neighbors think?” I grew up where there were blue laws. Many stores closed on Sundays, including most grocery stores, and you definitely could not buy any sort of alcohol.

Even the elaborate making of a meal on Sundays was frowned upon. Most common was putting a roast with vegetables in the oven before going to church; then coming home, boiling potatoes and making mashed potatoes. Served piping hot, mashed potatoes always accompanied the special meal that we didn’t call lunch, but Sunday Dinner.

Then the afternoon was spent taking naps or playing games or making long distance phone calls to relatives and the Sunday drive. You would just get in the car with no destination in mind; but many times you’d end up at someone’s home usually around supper time! The humorous thing was that most of the time they had no idea you were going to just show up!

Oh, how times have changed! For many of us, Sunday is just another day of the week.

So, what do we do about the third commandment, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy?” Is it still important?

The commandments, “You shall not kill. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal,” are the ones that get our attention. We can understand the importance of following them and the consequences of breaking them. But what about observing the Sabbath? In a 24/7 world, is it even possible to think about setting aside one day as special?

This Lenten Season, we’re exploring the theme of Sabbath keeping. It’s kind of different and unique, but then, so are we!

Let me remind you, Lent isn’t just a time to give up something, like chocolate; rather it’s a time for intentional spiritual growth and healing. The only things we are asked to give up are the attitudes that keep us from experiencing the gifts of hope, joy and wholeness in our lives.

Lent is the church-calendar season between Ash Wednesday and Easter. It’s a 40-day period that lasts 46 days because Sundays aren’t counted in the 40-days of Lent. Sundays are like mini-Easters. Sunday is always a celebration of Resurrection Power.

This Lent we are going to focus on intentionally taking time for the Sabbath, trying to break the frenetic cycles we frequently find our lives in, making space for God to fill us and renew us.

For ancient Israel, a part of Sabbath observance had to do with rest, and specifically, physical rest. The Hebrew word for “Sabbath” means “to cease, or stop” doing something. Israel had 39 sets of laws governing what they could or couldn’t do on that day. They couldn’t cook. They couldn’t start a fire. They couldn’t plow the land. They couldn’t harvest the crops. They couldn’t write two or more letters of the alphabet. They couldn’t even go out on a long walk. Only a Sabbath day’s journey was permitted.

Now, to our ears, rules like these may sound a bit silly. But to Israel, at that time, they were life-giving. They needed rest. Look around, and you’ll discover that people from cultures all over the world have tried to find a way to build rest into their lives. And, let’s be honest, we need that too.

Our world is only getting faster. There’s so much technology, so much information, so much to take in. And it’s only increasing. We try to speed up to just match the pace of all the action around us.

We spend a lot of time trying to answer all of our emails. We Tweet, we Facebook, and we Linkedin. We scan news Web sites, making sure we keep up with the latest headlines. And if we miss a headline, it pops up on our smart phones or tablets! And, like Pavlov’s experiment, we salivate each time we hear the beep or vibration of our phone. Just try to ignore it and don’t look at it when you feel it vibrate or hear your unique “ding.”

Am I right? So, where do we begin to change our pace? I think this is one of the great challenges of our day; finding the time and the space we need to slow down, to unplug and to stop ourselves from going crazy.

There was a second part of Sabbath observance in ancient Israel. Leviticus 23 describes it like this: “There are six days when you may work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of rest, a day of sacred assembly. You are not to do any work … it is a Sabbath to God.” Evidently, Sabbath-keeping wasn’t just about taking a break from work. It was a day to assemble with others and to nourish one’s relationship with God.

Exodus 20 says: “The Sabbath was a day to remember that God created the world, and when God was finished with the creation, God rested.” Deuteronomy 5 says: “The Sabbath was a day to remember that once they were slaves in the land of Egypt, but then God came along in the Exodus and set them free.”

So, here’s a question for you. In the midst of our busyness, what is it that we need to remember? That God created the world and gave it to us to use and enjoy? Yes.

That if we are feeling broken and wounded, God’s love is available to bring about transformation and wholeness? Yes.

But don’t we know these things already? Sure we do. But in our brokenness, we get too busy and preoccupied, and we forget them. We go faster and faster, and try harder and harder, and we lose sight of the fact that there’s a natural rhythm to life. God has given us times and seasons for our own good.

A reading in Ecclesiastes says this very well: “There is a time for everything, a season for every activity under heaven.” There’s a time to plant and a time to harvest. There’s a time to keep and a time to throw away. There’s a time to laugh and a time when laughter is terribly inappropriate. There’s a time when words are important and other times when words just get in the way. There’s a time to cry and a time to laugh. There’s a time to grieve and a time to dance. There’s a time for work and a time for rest. It’s all part of the rhythm of life.

Like the seasons on this planet, there is a natural rhythm to life. And according to Ecclesiastes, we’re at our best when we live according to that God-given rhythm.

As our world spins faster and faster, it’s crucial to be intentional about the choices we make.

There’s a little word that’s probably more important than ever: No. No, I’m not going to read that article. No, I’m not going to forward that email. No, I’m not going to sit through that presentation. No, I’m not going to try to do it all, try to have it all and try to be all things to all people.

There is a time for everything, including a time to say no. It’s part of the rhythm of life. It’s part of keeping the Sabbath.

As we live out that rhythm, we are reminded that much of life is outside of our control. That’s why I love to watch a sunset over the ocean. (I can’t control that!) That’s why I get energized being in the mountains, seeing a rainbow, eating vegetables from my garden and seeing the variety of people on our planet. Verse 11 says: “God has made everything beautiful for its own time. God has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, we cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.” Only God has that perspective.

It’s true, isn’t it? Sometimes we’re OK with that reality, but at other times, it’s really hard. When we can’t see what God is up to, what choice do we have but to trust? God, I can’t see where this is all going, but I’m going to trust you. God, I don’t always like where this is all going, but still, I’m going to trust you. Sabbath-keeping is a way to live into that reality. It’s an ongoing reminder that we are not in control. God is.

As we begin this journey of Lent, I encourage you to give Sabbath-keeping a try. A little tidbit of information for you, the Sabbath moved from Saturday to Sunday for most in the Christian faith because that’s the day Jesus rose from the dead. But it doesn’t have to be Sunday, especially if you work on Sunday! It just needs to be a day that fits for you. Find a time in your schedule that works best for you.

Find some time, maybe a specific day once a week, to step away from the crazy pace of life.

Find the strength to say no to every demand on your time and attention. Find a way to remember and nourish the most important relationships in your life, including God.

How can we do this? There are a number of spiritual practices you might want to incorporate: daily devotions, weekly worship, eating right, exercise, acts of kindness, focused prayer.

There are also a number of Sabbath-day practices you might consider: going for a contemplative walk; having some friends over to play games; “unplugging” from your cell phone for a few hours; going for a drive on Sunday afternoon and showing up at somebody’s house at suppertime! OK, maybe not that last one. But you get the idea.

Find a practice or two that gives you a change of pace. Mix it up! Now, keep in mind, we’re not ancient Israel. We’re not bound by 39 sets of laws. Jesus said: “The Sabbath was made for us; we weren’t made for the Sabbath.” In other words, the Sabbath is meant to be a gift. It’s meant to be life-giving. It’s meant to bring us wholeness and joy and restoration.

God has given us a rhythm to life. That rhythm involves Sabbath-keeping. It’s about rest. It’s about remembering who we are, and whose we are and drinking deeply from that relationship.

I think now more than ever, we need to be reminded of this ancient commandment: “Remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy.” Amen.

Rev. Dan Koeshall is the senior pastor at The Metropolitan Community Church (The Met), 2633 Denver Street, San Diego, California, themetchurch.org. Services every Sunday at 9 and 11 a.m.

I invite you to join me for my birthday celebration and fundraiser at The Center, Tuesday, April 2, 6:30 p.m. The food will be catered by Babbo’s at a reasonable price and your money goes to a good cause. I hope you’ll join us! … end commercial!

Te amo! Je t’aime! Ich liebe dich! I love you!

One of the beautiful things about language is the fact that we can say anything in a number of different ways.

This past month we celebrated Valentine’s Day. If you’re blessed to have a Valentine there are so many different ways you can speak the language of love. Some people do it through flowers, others chocolates, still others through a card, a dinner or a romantic evening. Maybe you do it through a kiss or holding hands while walking on the beach.

There is such a variety of ways to say what we want to say. Just as there are many ways to say “I love you” there are also many ways in which the Scriptures invite us to experience soul care.

Throughout the past several articles we’ve been looking at soul care – the need that we all have for spiritual healing/inner healing. Moving from brokenness to wholeness, from mourning to joy, from captivity to freedom! Soul care, the journey toward being a positive person who’s filled with hope, joy and praise!

In this series, we’ve looked at Isaiah in the Old Testament, we’ve looked at the words of Jesus – and today, again, there is an invitation to healing, to soul care.

The way the writer in Romans 12 puts it, is that we are no longer to conform to the pattern of this world but, rather, that we be transformed by the renewing of our minds. The writer goes on to say that God sees this transformation as good and perfect. That when our minds are renewed, this is good and pleasing to God – and this transformation is also God’s will for us. God’s desire is our wholeness.

I love sunsets over the ocean. Did you know that walking next to the ocean is actually healing? It’s therapeutic, in that it releases ions in the air that have the power to heal us.

Let me suggest that just as the ions from the ocean bring about physical healing there are also “ions” in the spiritual world which God uses as instruments in our individual healing as we’re on the journey toward healing and wholeness.

So, how do we move from being “conformed to this world,” to being people who are whole; people who have been transformed; people who have renewed minds?

First, let’s work on a definition for the phrase “conformed to this world.” What does it mean when we are living a life conformed to this world? One of the things it means to me is that we remain victims to our past. Listening to, and replaying, and being intimidated by the tapes from our childhood, stuck in old patterns. Listening to those hurtful things we’ve heard growing up and then somehow believing them. Some of us also have old tapes from our churches; that we are sinful, wicked, perverted. Last week I learned a new term PTSSD – post traumatic spiritual stress disorder! And some of us have experienced that and need to be healed from that.

Being transformed by the renewing of our minds means moving from the position of brokenness to wholeness, to a new understanding of who we are as God’s creation; seeing ourselves as good and pleasing and fabulous in God’s eyes; in fact, seeing ourselves through God’s eyes as God sees us, as God sees you.

Let me suggest that in a healthy, authentic community of faith – there are “ions” at work. Ions promoting the transformation from brokenness to wholeness. Just as when you’re walking along the beach you’re being transformed by being in the presence of the ions at work so, in a healthy community of faith, there are “ions” that help us in the process of moving from brokenness to healthiness.

I see some parallels from the ions on the beach to ions in our spiritual lives. I remember a vacation I took to Thailand in 2000. We stayed right on the beach – and every morning I would take a long walk. It was so beautiful and relaxing. I felt a transformation taking place in my mind and my body. Now, it didn’t happen in one walk, or one hour or one day. It was a process. And by day 2 or 3, I began to notice a change. I wasn’t so stressed, I didn’t think about all that needed to be done. I wasn’t paying attention to the time of day or news reports. In fact, I didn’t even turn my cell phone on! The point is healing takes time.

When you walk on the beach, allowing the ions to do their work the natural healing process just takes place; it will happen.

The same is true spiritually. Healing takes place. And it’s important to realize that we heal at different rates. Don’t compare yourself to someone else.

As we allow our authentic community of faith to have that invisible effect on us, like the ions near the ocean, we will experience a transformation – a different outlook on life with more patience, with more love. At some point we will realize, wow, healing is taking place. I’m moving from being conformed to this world and I’m in the process of being transformed, of being healed.

Please don’t misunderstand me. Allow me to talk about how I believe spiritual ions are at work in an authentic community of faith. Again, this doesn’t happen instantly, it’s a process as we’re open to it.

I think attending corporate worship is a healing. Maybe it’s as the choir is singing or during the prayer or during the sermon or while taking communion.

During any of these parts of the worship service there are times I look out and I see you being moved (sometimes to tears) and it touches me and I get choked up. What is that? What’s going on? Perhaps it’s an “ion” at work; a spiritual ion at work touching your spirit.

Maybe spiritual ions are at work as you come in these doors, and an usher greets you with a smile, and looks into your eyes remembering your name; and then you walk into the sanctuary and someone else says hi to you and invites you to sit next to them, another spiritual ion!

Spiritual ions come in a variety of ways. Maybe at a Wednesday night discussion while people are sharing their life story you hear something and you say, “That’s me!”

Maybe in a Sunday School class when you have an opportunity to sit next to someone who comes out as a transgender person and shares their journey from woundedness to wholeness; maybe it’s in a small group that meets in a home; maybe in Centering prayer; maybe in something you’ve read on our Facebook page; maybe it’s in one of these moments that an “ion” rests on you and transformation and healing begin to happen.

In an authentic community of faith, honest people who don’t claim to have all the answers, seeking a relationship with a God who loves them unconditionally, will find one or more, maybe all, of these things to be effective in our soul care and our journey toward wholeness. But for soul care to happen I believe we need to expose ourselves to the opportunities of spiritual healing in our lives. Allow ourselves to be in a place to receive.

Like many of you, I’m on the journey from brokenness to wholeness. And, like many of you, there are areas in my life that God is nudging me to not be stuck in my past, to get beyond that and be transformed by the renewing of my mind. I wouldn’t be surprised if I’m not alone.

Let me share a personal story. Part of my being stuck in the past is wanting approval from certain people. My father is one of them. Since early childhood, when I looked up as my dad was giving the blessing before eating supper and said, “Daddy, teach me to pray.” I have gone on a huge journey with him as I’ve come out as a gay man. It hasn’t been easy. And, to this day, I still catch myself seeing myself with his disapproving eyes. That’s listening to old tapes.

I’m so grateful for the transformation that comes with the renewing of my mind. To see myself, not as I perceive how my father sees me, but to see myself as our unconditional loving God sees me.

Maybe you’re not dealing with your father. Maybe you’re in the process of being healed in some other aspect. Let the healing continue and let your light shine brightly for all to see!

Rev. Dan Koeshall is the senior pastor at The Metropolitan Community Church (The Met), 2633 Denver Street, San Diego, California, themetchurch.org. Services every Sunday at 9 and 11 a.m.

The Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes by Bernardo Strozzi

In Matthew 14, Jesus preaches a sermon that makes his mission laser clear. To heal the hurting, to bind up the wounded and moving from brokenness to wholeness. I remind you, we’re on this journey together from captivity to freedom; from mourning to joy; from being broken and bruised; from being a faint person hardly able to stand to being a person filled with hope and joy; to being a person who is positive and filled with praise.

So, what does this mean for us? When I say “us,” I’m thinking of us as individuals, and even more specifically, for “us” as a community of faith.

In our narrative, the disciples are frustrated. Jesus is preaching and healing; there are thousands of people who’ve come to hear him in this deserted place and now it’s getting late in the day and they’re getting hungry. And you know what happens when people get hungry!

The disciples come to Jesus and say, “Send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” Then Jesus says the most shocking, and yet, instructive thing, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.”

I can imagine the disciples looking at each other, shaking their heads, dumbfounded. Yet in those words of Jesus, we as a faith community can hear words of truth, that maybe we don’t want to hear, because ultimately we know that is our mission too. That is what Jesus calls us to do. “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.”

As a community of faith, as a progressive Christian church and one that is vibrant, inclusive and progressive (VIP) we are called to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. As followers of Christ, we are called to follow in the footsteps of the wounded healer whose name we bear.

As we look at his life, and hear the words, “You give them something to eat…” we begin to hear the answer of, “What does it mean to be a VIP church here in San Diego in 2013?”

The first thing that jumps out at me in this narrative is that we are called to be a hospitable church. (Kind of sounds like “hospital” – and that may be true – but “hospitable.”) Let me ask a question. Is it possible to truly be the Body of Christ (follower in the teachings of Jesus) without being a hospitable church? I think our narrative says no. Hospitality is the ability to pay attention to the guest.

Hospitality is more than just being friendly. We are constantly told we are a very friendly church. But hospitality means more than that. It means being focused on the new person; on the one standing off alone; on the one who is here for the first time wounded, in pain, searching for healing. And we may not be able to see the pain from the outside because most of us are experts at hiding our pain.

There is not a week that goes by that we don’t have first-time guests here. (I can’t remember the last time!) I don’t think they are here by accident. They don’t wake up in beautiful San Diego and say, “I don’t have anything to do this morning, so, I think I’ll come to church …” No, they come for a reason.

Being the VIP church we are called to be, means I am more focused on their needs than my own. Jesus said, “They need not go away, you give them something to eat.” In our narrative, I see three things that have to do with fulfilling the words that Jesus said. Let me share them with you.

First, we are called to be a community of compassion. What does that mean? One definition of compassion is: sympathetic consciousness of others’ distress, together with a desire to alleviate it.

It’s when we look at our neighbor and see they are really part of us. It’s where we see our own hope and our own desire for healing by looking into our neighbor’s eyes.

Second, we are called to be a community of recognition. What do I mean by that? Well, where we recognize the one who’s here for the first time, (more than just a “Hi how are you?”) or where we recognized the one who’s come back after a long time of being away. Where we have open arms.

Most people long for a place to belong. Many people are just lonely. We live in a time where we have more “close friends” on Facebook who’ve we’ve never met than we do in person. All of us enjoy going to a place where we are recognized. I love it when I go to “my Starbucks” and they say, “Good Morning Dan, we have your spinach feta wrap already in the oven.” Church should be a place where that happens, where people are recognized. I like the greeting in Avatar, “I see you!”

There’s a healing power in simply recognizing a person. And making the effort of remembering their name is so important. Ouch! I try, it’s not my gift but I try.

Oh, how we love to have someone recognize us. I’m a people watcher and I love when I’m at the airport terminal, waiting to board my plane, to see loved ones gather in the lobby, some with flowers, some all dressed up, and then to watch the people get off the plane and try to guess who’s going to be matched with whom. Airport reunions have brought tears to my eyes! We love to be recognized. Being a community of recognition is an important part of being a VIP church.

Third, we are called to be a people who are vigilant.

Where, when we come to church, we are aware, we look around. We are sensitive to that new person coming through the door for that first time.

Do you remember the first time you came to church? How many of you came to the church in pain? How many of you spent the first month here crying? Many of us did. I know I did. As odd as it may sound, this is a gift. Why? Because we have been broken, we then are sensitive to the brokenness of the new person.

Because I have been broken and wounded, I can recognize and respond to that with sympathy and authenticity.

We can relate to the wounded with authenticity because we ourselves are wounded.

Henri Nouwen, gifted writer said this, “No one will be perceived as authentic, unless they speak from a heart wounded by the suffering about which they speak.” Let me paraphrase that, “No church will be perceived as authentic, unless it ministers from a heart wounded by the suffering about which it speaks.”

Again, as strange as it may sound, I’m coming to see this as a great advantage we have. The very nature of who we are, means that we have experienced hurts, misunderstandings, rejection and pain and because of this, you and I are uniquely positioned to be wounded healers.

Why do we provide ministries and programs that reach out into our community in the areas of social justice and healing?

What’s the purpose?”

Let me suggest the answer is twofold.

First, it’s the up-building of the body, the strengthening of the body (as we come to worship we are enriched, our own healing continues, we are encouraged, we are built up.)

And for what purpose are we being built up? Is it only so we can be together and enjoy each other’s company? No one enjoys our times together more than I do. I love worship, fellowship and our gatherings, but I think it’s that and more.

Second, we are all in the process of being healed that we may become instruments of God’s healing grace to others, to the world. This is our calling. And ultimately, as an authentic community of faith, as a VIP church, this must be our focus.

We are not to come and be strengthened and healed just for our own sakes; not just for us four and no more. It’s not just about us, folks. What did Jesus say? “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.”

So, I challenge us as a community of faith to look into the eyes of those who we meet from week to week. To recognize them. They are here looking for healing, hope and wholeness. And as we look into their eyes I believe we will see our mission.

Beloved, as a VIP church that is vibrant, inclusive and progressive, we are called to be here for each other. Amen.

Rev. Dan Koeshall is the senior pastor at The Metropolitan Community Church (The Met), 2633 Denver Street, San Diego, California, themetchurch.org. Services every Sunday at 9 and 11 a.m.

Just as it’s important to care for our physical bodies, it’s also, just as important to care for our soul. Even Jesus got away from time to time and practiced soul care. And if Jesus did it, then maybe it’s something to take a closer look at.

The Gospel of Luke begins with Jesus’ birth, then Jesus being presented at the temple, then Jesus being baptized by John the Baptist and then Jesus going to the wilderness for 40-days of overcoming temptation – then Jesus begins his ministry in Galilee where much of his ministry takes place.

Now, he’s back home for his first public appearance … he’s in the synagogue and all eyes were on him. Imagine the pressure he was under – going back to his home town. You know what it’s like for some of us – going back home where you were raised, where, in my case, they call me Danny, where people remember when you weren’t picked first for dodge ball in gym class – when you got in a fight on the playground – or you were either the shy one in class or the teacher’s pet.

Jesus is viewed as a different person everywhere else. He’s popular, in demand; but in his hometown he’s still that little kid that people remember; in fact some remarked, “Hey, aren’t you Joseph’s son?”

On this first Sunday back in his hometown, Jesus wanted to say something significant, but I think more than that he wanted to articulate his mission. He’s handed the scroll, he unrolls it and finds the place. He knew it was there; he searched for it – he knew he had something specific he wanted to say.

His first message to them was about healing. And so he turns to one of the most powerful passages of scripture. It talks about healing, which, as a pastor, is at the heart of what my ministry is about, and what I believe our mission and ministry at The Met is about.

Let’s look at the context of what Luke records Jesus reading. It’s from the prophet Isaiah, chapter 61. It was written hundreds of years before Jesus – but it’s still as current and relevant to us today as this morning’s New York Times headlines.

It talks about me and it talks about you.

Some of the words that jump out are oppression, captivity, mourning, ruin and devastation (not pretty words).

I believe Jesus sees the heart of his ministry is moving us beyond oppression and captivity and mourning. I want to talk a little more about that.

What are some of the things that cause us to be oppressed?

What are some of the things that pull me into that “broken-hearted” camp?

We’ve all been wounded. We’ve all had hurtful things happen to us. We can all identify with some of these words from Isaiah.

Every week, I hear stories of your wounds and abuses – and part of my joy as your pastor is spending some time in private conversations, listening to our stories as a community.

In fact, I first came to MCC because I made an appointment with the pastor because of the hurts and wounds I had gone through and was still going through. I wanted to come to a place where I could receive hope. I sensed I needed soul care. I sensed I needed healing. My world was unraveling. And I was scared. I didn’t know I needed soul care then; I didn’t know I needed healing; but I knew I was going to fall, so I came searching for a place that I hoped would be there for me as a spiritual net in a safe community of faith. I’m forever grateful for the healing ministry of MCC to me.

There are three things that I see in this passage, this very first sermon that we have on record of Jesus’ preaching.

The first thing, as a community of faith we are a community of people who need healing.

We all experience pain and struggles. We all carry with us hurts from the past. We all need healing. We all go through stuff. Especially as a faith community like ours which is predominantly LGBT. We are especially blessed in the stuff we’ve inherited. (I could write about this for another hour!)

I was so overwhelmed by the reaction of our community with the words of President Obama during his inauguration speech. To have him use the word Stonewall in the same sentence as Seneca Falls and Selma was amazing! And then to have him affirm same-sex marriage! Amazing. This was the first time in the history of the United States that a president has used the word “gay” in an inauguration speech. Sitting on my couch, I just started clapping! I felt affirmed. It was healing to my soul.

This was so powerful to so many people because it says how hurt we’ve been and how much we need to be healed from the stigma that has held us captive. And just the words our president spoke, gave us hope!

Another thing I see as I’ve meditated on this narrative this past week, not only do we all go through hurts, but we also tend to hold on to our hurts. And some of us let anger become our soul food. Some of us turn our abuse into substance abuse. We try to numb the pain and numb our hurts instead of dealing with them.

And then a strange thing happens. We get so comfortable with our hurts that we begin to embrace them; they become part of our identity. And then we go through life attracting that same negative energy, and before we know it, we’ve created a powerful rut in life. But oh, it’s so comfortable!

The good news is that we don’t have to stay in that rut of oppression and captivity to our past. In the narrative in Luke 4, Jesus says he was anointed to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the broken hearted, to bring liberty to the captives, to bring release to the prisoners, to bring comfort to those who mourn, to give the oil of gladness instead of mourning, to give us a mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit.

How can this happen in our lives? How can we break from our hurts and wounds?

This brings me to the final point in our narrative. We need to learn to let go!

That may mean moving out of our comfort zone. No, not may mean, will mean! We can become so comfortable with our pain. It almost begins to feel like home.

That reminds me of a song by BJ Thomas; “Hey, wontcha play another somebody done somebody wrong song; and make me feel at home …”

Make me feel at home with my pain and my hurt. Oh, so comfortable! Like a pair of old tennis shoes that we just can’t throw away.

Now, please don’t misunderstand me. I’m not minimizing the pain and hurts of the past. They’re real. I’ve been there, and I know a lot of us have been there. And we also still struggle with this, and we are in the process of healing. It’s a journey of moving from brokenness to wholeness.

And let me say something here. This is what we’re about as a community of faith. (Someone said to me last week, “I think this sermon was more for you than for us.”) It’s true! I’m preaching to myself too. I feel pains from the past, and I’m on the journey with you, from brokenness to wholeness. We’re on this journey together, from captivity to freedom, from mourning to joy, from being broken and bruised, from being a faint person hardly able to stand, to being a person filled with hope and joy, to being a person who is positive and filled with praise.

This process begins though by letting go. And there comes a time when we have to let it go, to just let go. Let go and let God!

It’s scary! For some of us, it’s all we’ve known. Even from early childhood. Some of us learned to live in shame and to live in hiding; and letting go of that is not an easy thing to do.

But letting go is so important – it allows healing. It’s only as we let go can the healing come. As we let go, it will come. Maybe not right away; it might take longer than we expect, but it will come.

I have a vivid memory of when I had to let go. Oh, was it scary! It was the first time I went rappelling. It was a beautiful day and I was with an experienced Marine. The sun was shining, and from our vantage point on the Laguna Mountains, you could look out and see the Salton Sea out in the desert. Such a clear day. Perfect! I get all the gear on, I’m excited; it was a new thing I was going to try; I was ready!

Until, it was my turn to go. I’m situated at the edge of the cliff and the Marine says, “Now, lean back.” And I thought what are you talking about? No way!

“Let go!”

All I could do was hold on. I was frozen. Mr. Marine said, “Dan, you have to let go of the rope to let yourself down. You have to let go to get back on solid ground.”

I had a mental fight – an internal battle. All I could reason was when you let go you fall. When you let go you get hurt.

Slowly I realized, that the only way I was going to make it was to let go! And I did – just a couple inches at first. But then more. Then it became fun. But, I had to let go first!

PS Plan to join us for Palm Sunday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday services!

Rev. Dan Koeshall is the senior pastor at The Metropolitan Community Church (The Met), 2633 Denver Street, San Diego, California, themetchurch.org. Services every Sunday at 9 and 11 a.m.

First Lutheran Church downtown San Diego

I am grateful for the ways in which diversity and inclusion of LGBT people in our faith communities continues to grow and increase. We’ve come a long way (baby!) – but still have a long way to go.

When the Metropolitan Community Church (MCC) was birthed in 1968, it was with the hope that it wouldn’t be needed in the generations to come as more and more churches would become open and affirming.

Well, from Stonewall to gay Prides; through the AIDS crisis; to social justice; to same-sex holy unions and weddings; to full inclusion of our LGBT community, the MCC has been there and celebrates every faith community who is on the journey toward greater inclusion and acceptance of our LGBT sisters and brothers. We truly have a powerful message to give the world – that God (however you define God) loves us all unconditionally!

We want to congratulate our friends at First Lutheran Church downtown on their upcoming 125th anniversary.

When I asked to what he attributes their longevity, Pastor Wilbert “Wilk” Miller was quick to reply, “The church has always been forward thinking and doesn’t ever say ‘we have never done it that way.’”

Indeed, First Lutheran is a Reconciling in Christ congregation, welcoming all people regardless of race, ethnic background or sexual orientation.

Rev. Wilk points out that many of their older members are among the most open and forward thinking. This is refreshing given polls that say it is people over 65 who are most opposed to LGBT rights and same-sex marriage. They obviously share our passion for equality and service.

First Lutheran’s mission statement of being “called to be the heart of Christ in the heart of the city” drives their outreach and ministry.

They have been actively feeding the hungry since 1975. It actually began with offering fresh baked bread and coffee to passers-by on their way to work. They discovered that many were too busy to stop but soon realized they had another audience that did have time: the homeless, the working poor and seniors.

That was the humble beginnings of Friday Bread Day, a program that offered a free warm meal to all who came by. That outreach has grown and morphed into a separate 501c3 non-profit called TACO (Third Avenue Charitable Organization).

Now on both Mondays and Fridays, with the help of some 20 volunteers, TACO prepares a meal for the needy. Included are medical, dental, acupuncture and legal clinics, partnering with other organizations. These clinics are available to all in need. There is even a hospice program for addressing the needs of the homeless who are nearing a life transition. Other ministry outreach includes the ongoing bread distribution on Fridays; AA, NA, and al-anon groups; and participation in Lutheran World Relief and disaster response.

As a church and part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) denomination, there is much for First Lutheran to celebrate.

In 2009 ECLA became the largest denomination to ordain gays and lesbians in committed monogamous relationships. It also voted to allow congregations that choose to do so, to find ways to recognize, support and hold accountable such relationships.

Pastor Wilk conducted wedding ceremonies for gay and lesbian couples during the 2008 “window” in California.

First Lutheran has marched now for 4 years in the San Diego LGBT Pride parade. The president of their church council is Mary Ann Horton, a transgender woman. But perhaps their greatest pride comes from the feeling, expressed by Pastor Wilk, that they “are entrusted with this little corner of God’s creation at 3rd and Ash. Our greatest desire is that all our doors are open and all our tables are open.”

The congregation has helped Wilk, after 7-years as Pastor, continue to grow because it “has always been open and been very supporting,” he told me. “It compels me to grow and be more open.” He shared that the ELCA’s evolution on LGBT rights, like many denominations’, has been a gradual process. He explained that in some congregations, people were wounded and left with the changes. Yet, First Lutheran has celebrated the decisions that were made in advancing acceptance and openness.

Pastor Wilk invites everyone to join in their year-long celebration. The theme for their anniversary is “Honoring Our Past – Embracing Our Future” and throughout the year, the four living former pastors will all be visiting.

Sunday, Feb. 17, at 9 and 11:15 a.m., they will welcome the national presiding bishop of the ELCA, Rev. Mark Hanson.

We at the Metropolitan Community Church congratulate First Lutheran on its first 125 years, affirm their tradition of welcoming ministry and forward thinking, and wish them another 125 years of being “the heart of Christ in the heart of the city.”

Let’s continue to celebrate diversity and inclusion! You are loved!

Rev. Dan Koeshall is the senior pastor at The Metropolitan Community Church (The Met), 2633 Denver Street, San Diego, California, themetchurch.org. Services every Sunday at 9 and 11 a.m.

Last week we started a series on soul care where we talked about working out physically to care for our bodies and keep them in shape and how we need to give the same attention to our souls. And while most of us recognize we have a spiritual component we refer to as a soul, we mentioned the debate of whether we are a physical being with a soul or a soul with a physical being. Either way, the important thing is that we take care of our soul. It’s important. It’s life-giving.

I also mentioned last week that Jesus lived in a hectic world and needed to get away. Hmm, some things don’t change, because we live in a hectic world also, and Jesus knew he needed soul care. And if Jesus did – we do too.

In Mark 1, I don’t know if the word “insanity” was used or not in Jesus’ time, but looking at the passage, I can see things that would make anyone feel as if they were going crazy. This narrative is fast-paced, it’s intense and it doesn’t stop. Like the Energizer bunny, it keeps on going and going and going at a frenetic pace.

Jesus’ fame is spreading all around the country. He’s recognized by the paparazzi no matter where he goes. He can’t go to the market without someone yelling, “Hey, it’s Jesus!” Jesus went to the synagogue and attended temple services, and our narrative says that “As soon as they left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.”

Ahh, finally, Jesus can get some rest. He can take off his sandals, kick his feet up and watch some TV in the privacy of a home. But no, Simon’s mother-in-law is sick with a fever, and they tell Jesus about it, just as he was getting comfortable. He goes into her room, takes her by the hand and lifts her up and she’s healed by his touch! Her fever left her immediately, and now she’s feeling so good she does what my mom would want to do when she had company – she started preparing something to eat and serving them.

Now, Jesus and his buds can relax. They can rest from the pressing of the crowds, from the debates, from the demands, from people sapping the energy out of them, from moving at a very fast pace. I can just imagine them having a delicious meal, taking the coveted Sabbath afternoon nap, and then Jesus saying, “Hey, Simon, feel like watching a movie? Do you have Ben Hur? Or better yet, Steel Magnolias?”

It’s getting to be sunset, the smell of popcorn is in the air, and they are ready to settle in for the evening when, as our passage says, “that evening, at sunset, they brought to Jesus all who were sick or possessed with demons. And the whole city was gathered around the door.” There goes the movie night – no rest for the weary.

Talk about Jesus being under a lot of pressure. Jesus cured many who were sick with various diseases and cast out many demons. Not just a few, but the whole city was there! Talk about insanity. I like the part in Jesus Christ Superstar where Jesus finally just screams from all of the demands on him! Ahhh! Enough!

Jesus recognized he couldn’t go on like this. With the whole city gathered at the door, call it insanity or anything else that’s fits for you, something was going to break. Something was about to crack. Have you ever been there? Have you ever felt like that?

Imagine with me; they finally got to sleep after an exhausting evening that probably went on into the wee hours of the morning. The house is quiet. Pretty soon, after a short night, they smell the aroma of fresh coffee brewing, of delicious cinnamon rolls baking The house is smelling good and people begin to stir. They knock on Jesus’ door. “Jesus, time to get up.” No answer. “Jesus, breakfast is ready.” Still no answer. They open up the door and he’s not there.

I wonder if they panicked. I wonder what was going through their minds. Did all of this finally get to Jesus? Could he not take any more? Did he crack under the stress and pressure? What would you do if you were in their shoes? They were so alarmed and so worried, that our narrative reads, “They hunted for him.” Not just looked around, but hunted!

So, what was Jesus doing as all of this is going on? As our narrative tells us, “Early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed.”

He prayed. How many of you have seen the painting of Jesus on one knee, praying? It’s a famous picture. But, in my mind, I don’t see Jesus going and just staying in that prayer posture during this time. I think prayer is so much more than that. I can imagine Jesus walking, thinking, having a time of renewal and healing.

Prayer is a time when we move outside of our humanity and connect to the divine – to something bigger than ourselves, to God, however you define God – when we fan the flame of divinity that is within us.

I think prayer and communion with God happen in so many different ways. It could be during a conversation with a friend, it could be in solitude, it could be in church while the choir is singing, it could be at the beach and it could be while watching a movie.

In my office I have a Tibetan Prayer Bowl. We have used it during Centering Prayer. To me, it’s a reminder of the power of prayer and that we can learn a lot from other faith traditions about prayer also. Prayer is breaking down the barriers between us and the divine – allowing healing and renewal.

I’ve had moments, during the many forms of prayer I’ve just mentioned, where I’ve had an “aha” moment. Where a curtain was pulled back, and a light shines in, where problems that looked so huge were brought into perspective. It was in those moments that I realized and knew that it was going to be OK … that God is with me.

During moments of prayer, I open myself to the realization that God is bigger than me, bigger than my problems, bigger than my enemies, bigger than my stresses – and as I open myself up to God, it is the beginning of a healing in my soul. It is a step toward soul care.

Have you felt like the whole city was gathered at your door? And it’s almost too much to bear? You just want to run and hide? You feel like you can’t take it anymore? Jesus understands. He was there.

They were hunting for Jesus – everywhere! They looked up and down the streets, at his favorite deli – finally they get to where they least expected to find him. In a deserted place all alone.

“Jesus, what are you doing?”

“I’m doing soul care.”

Jesus knew he needed soul care.

He found himself in what today we might call a toxic environment. He needed to pull away from it all. What is toxic? It’s anything that poisons. One of the synonyms for toxic is venomous, like the bite of a poisonous snake.

But, in most cases, poison is not quick. It is slow and painful. It’s not sudden, it’s gradual. And when we find ourselves in toxic environments, we don’t recognize it right away. Getting away – having regular soul care – helps us to see more clearly. And then allows us to do something about it. Self-care. Soul care.

I want to close with two questions:

First, what toxic environments are a part of your life? What are they for you? Working too much? A relationship? Negative friends? Where you hang out? It’s different for each of us, what is it for you? What are those toxic environments in your life that you need to get away from?

Second, where is your solitary place? Where do you get away from the crowd, like Jesus did?

It might not necessarily mean that you’re all alone? For some people, their pets bring such comfort, just petting your dog or your cat brings healing. For me, it’s sitting in Starbucks having a cup of coffee in a relaxed setting. Where is that for you? Where is that place where you can pull back from the toxic environment that can so quickly overwhelm us?

Jesus knew he needed soul care. If it’s good for Jesus, it’s good for me too. Amen. Namaste.

I’m curious, how many of you made a New Year’s resolution this year? How many of you have broken them already?

There is a long tradition of making New Year’s resolutions. It’s an opportunity to reflect on our current actions and set goals to achieve, or make resolutions to change. Typically, resolutions have to do with losing weight, improving health, exercising more, increasing business, or making more personal and family time.

But one thing about New Year’s resolutions is that, for most of us, we don’t continue with them; we don’t succeed and then we can take the mentality that we’re a failure.

I received an email from author Robert V. Taylor, where he talked about giving up on New Year’s resolutions because he realized that they were “quickly consigned to a closet to gather dust.” Then he talked about a conversation with a wise friend that led him to wonder, what it would be like, instead of making a resolution, to select a word as his companion and mantra for the year ahead. What a novel idea.

A new practice for choosing a new way to be in the New Year ahead. What words would you choose? Creativity? Awareness? Imagination? Love? Friendship? Abundance? Healing?

This is not my New Year’s resolution, but I made a decision to go back to the gym. And I started it in December – intentionally. In fact, I knew I needed help and motivation, so I hired a personal trainer. That works best for me because now I’m accountable, and I’m going to go because I already paid for the session!

So, the ruthless trainer is taking this physical body through the wringer, and I’m sore. But it’s a good sore! Many of us go to the gym because we want to see results, and if we’re going just for that reason, then it’s only about the outside – the physical. But for me, I know there are so many more benefits, like having more energy, releasing stress and feeling good. It’s more about the inside than the outside. Fitting into my clothes better and being able to walk up a hill without getting winded is just a by-product. So, I’m doing self-care. What too many of us neglect to do … self-care.

While most of us recognize we have a spiritual component we refer to as a soul, there have been debates over the centuries whether we are a physical being with a soul or a soul with a physical being.

Great thinkers throughout history have always recognized there is more to us than just flesh and blood – more than just a physical body.

Now, I confess I’m not smarter than those who debate this, but I know that our soul is extremely important, and when we fail to care for our spiritual side, we are not acknowledging our full humanity. Because, just as it’s important to care for our physical body, it’s also important to care for our soul. Self-care. Soul care. Recognizing the divinity in our humanity.

The Gospel of Mark reminded me that Jesus needed soul care. Mark, in his gospel, has Jesus moving immediately from his baptism, into his temptation in the wilderness, putting his presidential cabinet together, known as the twelve disciples.

Mark goes on to say, Jesus heals many … those with leprosy, the paralyzed, he was involved in a theological controversy over fasting, then Jesus heals on the Sabbath and really gets the religious leaders of the day all wound up – and they begin to plot to kill him. And Jesus says, “I need to get out of here. I need some soul care.” What better place to go than to a lake. So, he went to the water.

Now, we are blessed on so many levels to live in San Diego. But one of the beauties is that we live by the ocean. I love that every time we come to The Met we see water – the beauty of the bay.

I love to go to the ocean. A ritual I have is to watch a sunset over the ocean on New Year’s Eve. There’s something powerful and cleansing and symbolic about that to me. Watching the sun set, on the last day of the year, over the ocean, the farthest vantage point we have, however many miles it is that we can see in the distance. To me the ocean is healing also.

Another jewel we have here in San Diego is the Hotel del Coronado. When the legendary hotel opened in 1888, its spectacular seaside location attracted guests from all over the world. Even back in the 1800s, vacationers understood that ocean retreats restored body and soul, and 19th century travelers prized seashore destinations above all others.

What Victorians understood instinctively about the sea is that it was physically, emotionally, spiritually and intellectually beneficial and it has now become accepted wisdom. In fact, professionals from medical doctors to environmental psychologists understand that the seashore is therapeutic on many levels.

Sea air is always refreshing, and for good reason. Charged with an abundance of particles called “negative ions,” ocean air increases our ability to absorb oxygen. It’s no wonder, then, that a walk on the beach clears the head and helps us think more effectively.

In addition, the negative ions that saturate sea air are credited with helping to destroy airborne bacteria, as well as to reduce the effects of dust, pollen and histamines (which are linked to allergies). They are also thought to have a beneficial effect on everything from insomnia to depression to migraines (some hospital burn units even use artificial “ionizers” to speed healing).

Our homes and work places are full of positive ions – which we get from computer screens, TVs, our smart phones – any electronics. And being by the ocean washes those away. It’s cleansing. For me, when I go to the ocean, it’s always a time of inner renewal – and the interesting thing is, I live close by, and I don’t go that often. Oh, I need to do better self-care. Better soul care.

Water is also calming. When I came out to my family, I came out to my dad first (parents divorced). Dad lived here in California and mom in Wisconsin, so when I told him I was going to come out to mom he told me to take her by the lake because it’s calming and she would need it. I’ll never forget our time together and the heart to heart talk we had.

We read in Mark 4, that people were sapping the energy out of Jesus. There was a plot to destroy him. And Jesus said, “I need soul care.” If Jesus needed soul care, then don’t I? I should never be so self confident, so vain or presumptuous to think that I never need soul care. I want you to know I’m not talking just to you. I need to hear this too!

This is a new year. We’ve finished with the hecticness of the holidays; traffic is back to being busy; we are standing in lines; hurry up and wait; maybe people are sapping the energy out of you in various ways. Maybe some are even out to destroy you.

Verse 11 says, “Whenever the unclean spirits saw Jesus, they fell down and cried out…” We live in a different culture today, but there are still unclean spirits that we deal with. We, too, have our negative voices playing in our head, abuses and wounds we’ve carried from the past that we haven’t let go.

The only way for healing and soul care to happen is to face these things head on.

Maybe you’ve heard the term, “face your demons.” I’m not talking literally, but figuratively. Facing those negative voices in our head; facing that negative self-image; those things that tear us down; those things that keep us from being whole.

During the next several weeks, we are going to be looking more closely at practicing soul care. What does that mean for us? In life, we all have stress and pressure and it affects us spiritually. It affects our soul. We need to practice self-care. We need to practice soul care.

If Jesus needed soul care, then don’t you think we shouldn’t be so self assured as to think that we don’t need soul care too?

From looking at the teachings of Jesus we can find hope and healing. We don’t need to remain a prisoner by negative thinking, negative people or negative experiences. As Jesus needed soul care, we do too. Where are those areas in your life where you need some soul care? As Jesus reached out to others, so he reaches out to us. Let your soul care begin. Let the healing begin. Amen.

Rev. Dan Koeshall is the senior pastor at The Metropolitan Community Church (The Met), 2633 Denver Street, San Diego, California, themetchurch.org. Services every Sunday at 9 and 11 a.m.

Three Kings from the east visit the Holy Family in Bethlehem. This window is located in the cathedral of Brussels and was created in 1866.

It’s the end of January already! How many of you have still kept your New Year’s resolutions?

I spent New Year’s Day taking down all of my holiday decorations, boxing them up, putting the boxes in the rafters of my garage and then cleaning up. I mean a deep cleaning. Polishing the furniture, vacuuming, cleaning the floors and by the end of the day it was clean and shiny in the house. I took a look around and said, “It was good!” I was ready to begin 2013.

A couple weeks ago, we celebrated Epiphany. Shifting from rejoicing at Emmanuel, God’s coming among us, to reflecting on what that means in our daily lives.

Centuries ago, the church named the twelfth day after Christmas “Epiphany” to celebrate the light of Christ coming into the world. I looked up the definition of epiphany, and it means a manifestation, sudden appearance. It is an experience of sudden realization … kind of like that light bulb going on! Generally, the term epiphany is used to describe breakthrough scientific, religious or philosophical discoveries, in which an enlightening realization allows a problem or situation to be understood from a new and deeper perspective!

Originally, it was thought that this insight came from the divine. Christians believe that Jesus coming into the world is an epiphany of who God is – a greater understanding of God’s unconditional love for all. We say it often at The Met – let the light of Christ shine brightly within you. And it’s interesting that the Magi (commonly referred to as the three wise men) followed a great light, shining brightly.

The holidays are traditionally a time for unity. People come together, families gather (that’s why for so many it’s one of the loneliest times of the year). Even during world wars, both sides often stopped fighting and sang to their enemies or even walked across the battle line to share gifts with them. (They called them Christmas ceasefires.) It’s a time, unlike any other, when everyone seems to be able to focus on peace.

But Christmas has passed. And if we’re honest, we can almost feel that the temporary spirit of peace has passed away also. It seems we live in a time of deep division, when compromise is often seen as weakness. We live in a time of party and tribal purity, in which the classic “us” versus “them” dominates. Emotionalism, blaming, and scapegoating take precedence over reason, working together and accepting responsibility.

The “us” versus “them” mentality says if you’re not like us, you must be against us. If you don’t agree with us, you must be wrong. The list goes on and on: white against people of color; pro-life advocates against pro-choice supporters; progressives against conservatives; Westerners against Middle Easterners; Muslims against Christians; rich against poor; fundamentalist against homosexual; male against female; whoever against someone else. “Us” against “them.”

Jesus was, born in a small town in a totally Jewish environment where anyone outside of the community was viewed with suspicion and generally unwelcomed. Our narrative today uses the term Magi to refer to these foreigners. They break into the narrative unexpectedly. They are foreigners, they do not belong here, they are the “other.” They are the “not like us” ones. They journey to Bethlehem, and find Jesus. These foreigners came into the midst of people who saw themselves as God’s special people. These foreigners, wearing different clothes, having a different skin color, language and culture, and even a different way of worshiping God – shattering the religious norms of the day, claimed this gift, Emmanuel, God with us for their own. And in so doing, they claimed it for all people.

This story marks the beginning of a new understanding – an epiphany. It’s now become a story of a God for all people (and not just for us four and no more), a God of unity, a God who moves people beyond the trap of “us” against “them.”

Magi bringing gifts, highlight the fact that the ultimate gift is that God loves all people unconditionally, in all times, in all places – a gift for every “us” against “them,” – a gift of unity. A gift for you. A gift for me.

These three foreigners, these three outsiders, remind us once again that our job is to embrace and teach that no one is so different that we dare treat them with less love or less respect than we would show those whom we call brothers and sisters. There is no gentile, no “other” who exists beyond the circle of God’s love. What can separate us from the love of God? Nothing! It reminds us also, that divisiveness is not consistent with the values of God.

It reminds us that God values the unity of all people – Jew and Gentile, Christian and Muslim, conservative and progressive, rich and poor, male and female, black and white and red and brown, brave and cowardly, married and single, gay and straight, young and old – “us and “them.”

On this first month of the New Year, we have survived the fiscal cliff; we have survived such division where commentators say they’ve never seen anything like this before. Now, more than ever, we need to understand the message of the Magi in our story today.

As I’ve been looking at this story, I’ve seen truths in this narrative for the very first time. Like you, I’m on a spiritual journey, and I get excited when I see things that touch me – let me share with you a couple:

Inclusiveness is pretty high on God’s list of priorities.

Why does Matthew introduce these characters to wrap up the Christmas story? It could have been so many respectable people, but he chose people from the outside. Maybe, because HE was an outsider. He was a tax collector looked down upon by the majority.

Inclusiveness does not have the “us” versus “them” mentality. And, I understand the “us” versus “them.” I was raised in that environment. Let me tell you a story. When I started dating, my mom said to me, “Dan, I look forward to meeting the girls you date, bring them home, I want to meet them; but don’t bring home anyone who’s black.”

I was dumbstruck, I was in shock. Now, I love and honor my mother very much, but what she said never sat right with me. And I know from this story that there is no place in God’s heart, and God’s values, for that kind of thinking. There just isn’t. Mom and I never had that conversation again – and I never heard another racist thing come out of her mouth before or since then – that’s why it just caught me so off guard.

And this story, today, has caught me off guard. It’s another reminder, a powerful reminder in a story I’ve heard all my life that God’s inclusiveness is great. It is powerful. And it’s a value I want to foster more and more in my life.

If you’re feeling that God doesn’t love you because you see yourself as “other than,” on the outside looking in, and you don’t “fit in” – stop it. As Robert Schuller would say, “God loves you and so do I.” But I’ll never be able to love you as much as God loves you.

Celebrate God’s inclusive love for you. Celebrate the gift of God with everyone in the whole wide world, and God be with you. Amen.

A Victorian stained glass image depicting Jesus, from a church in Wales.

In this article, I’d like to talk about the importance of Jesus having truly been a human being like us and what it means to also see him as God Incarnate. Now, I realize this topic may be more for those who follow the Christian faith, but read on, I believe there are universal truths here.

I grew up in a Christian tradition that said I needed to repent of my sins (that I was born into sin), and if, and only if, I asked Jesus into my heart by repeating a certain prayer, accepting him as my Lord and Savior, would I be able to go to heaven. I now see that tradition as very narrow and exclusive. I believe receiving God’s love is so much wider. It’s more than repeating a prayer.

Almost from the very beginning, Christians have called Jesus “Savior.” In Luke’s story of Jesus’ birth the angel’s announcement to the shepherds says, “I am bringing you good news of great joy for all people; to you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.” Can’t you just hear Linus saying that in A Charlie Brown Christmas? Clearly, Luke sees Jesus as a Savior.

What exactly does it mean for us to call him Savior? Theologian T. Sorenson helps give a progressive Christian view to that question by saying, “If Jesus is our Savior, then we must need saving from something.”

Now, for many of us, we’ve been told what we need to be saved from was “sin.” I remember the “Repent” and “Turn from your sin!” signs at December Nights in Balboa Park. I didn’t see anything loving and inviting about them.

Many of us grew up hearing we needed to be saved from sexual sin – especially the “sin” of homosexuality – even going so far as to say AIDS is God’s response to gays – and it was the homosexuals that helped cause the devastation of 9/11!

Sin and its feared consequences (some believe it is going to hell) are very real issues for many people today. Many also fear that life has no real meaning, and that our ultimate destiny is nothingness.

Sorenson says that all three of these things – sin, meaninglessness and the fear of nothingness – are existential dilemmas from which we need to be saved.

But wait! There’s more! The whole world has things from which it needs to be saved from too. Two things that come immediately to mind are injustice and rampant violence, including war. So, it turns out that there are lots of things that we, and the whole world, need to be saved from.

What do all of these things have in common?

Could it be that all of these dilemmas that we face are all grounded in a perceived separation from God … or worse, alienation from God?

I had an experience growing up coming home from school. Mom was in the backyard hanging up laundry on the clothesline. I went back and she wasn’t there; I couldn’t find her anywhere. I thought the rapture had taken place and I was left behind! Oh, such fear that was instilled in me from the church, when it turned out she was just visiting the neighbors!

Sorenson says one of the reasons we sin and fear the consequences of sin is because we don’t live in an intimate relationship with God. (It’s all about relationship, isn’t it?) When we don’t have that relationship, we lose touch with God’s heart; we lose touch with the assurance of God’s love and forgiveness.

When we’re not in an authentic faith relationship, we lose touch with God, the source of all meaning. We lose the assurance that nothingness is not our final destiny, because we know that God’s love for us never ends.

Emmanuel, God with us, came to reconcile us with God. To overcome our sense of separation from God. To restore us to an intimate, authentic relationship with God, and to overcome our alienation from God.

I like the scripture that says there is nothing in all creation that will be able to “separate us from the love of God.”

Jesus shows us in his human nature what human life looks like … showing us love, non-judgment and God’s values of justice, compassion and non-violence. And he does it by demonstrating in his divine nature how God actually relates to us.

We see God relating to creation by being present with us. We see God entering into and experiencing all of life (with its joys and sorrows). I know some people who want God to break into our world in great power and grandeur and change things for the better. God is not a magic genie in a bottle, or Santa Claus at Christmas time. God does not go, “Poof! All is better now!”

God’s relationship to the world is one of presence and solidarity. Any separation we feel between us and God is entirely of our own making. As far as God is concerned, there simply is no separation – what can separate us from the love of God? Nothing!

As far as God is concerned, we are not separated or alienated from God and we can overcome all of those things from which we need to be saved. We find meaning in a life lived in an intimate relationship with God. We know God’s love, and we know that that love will not end when we die. Because Jesus was a human being, we learn how to live. And Jesus overcomes our alienation by showing us that as far as God is concerned; the alienation we feel just isn’t real.

My prayer for you this New Year is that you’ll live a spiritually abundant life, a life of service and be a person of peace and justice.

God is never distant from creation; but we are so good at creating our own distance from God. Nothing in all creation can separate us from the love of God. Nothing! Thank you, God. Amen.

Rev. Dan Koeshall is the senior pastor at The Metropolitan Community Church (The Met), 2633 Denver Street, San Diego, California, themetchurch.org. Services every Sunday at 9 and 11 a.m.

Michelangelo’s Madonna and Child

During the first two Sundays of Advent, I have been preaching on Mary of Nazareth. I’ve suggested ways to see Mary, the mother of Jesus, that are quite different from the traditional Christian view of her – as meek, mild, obedient, and even submissive. I’ve suggested that we see her as possessing those traits – but also as the model of liberated womanhood and as a prophet.

There are additional ways in which tradition has seen her. One of the traditional images of Mary is the woman of sorrows. In Latin, she’s called the Mater Dolorosa, the Sorrowing Mother.

While living in Europe, I had the privilege of seeing Michelangelo’s Madonna and Child in Bruges, Belgium – so lifelike, the cloth and skin seem to have texture and appear soft. You’d never know its marble! (This was the only Michelangelo to leave Italy during his lifetime!)

Another great treasure of western art is Michelangelo’s Pieta, an emotionally wrenching sculpture of Mary cradling the lifeless body of her crucified son Jesus in her arms.

Mary is, in many ways, a model of female humanity. Female humanity is full humanity, and full humanity means all the experiences of life, including pain, loss, grief and death. The Biblical image of Mary includes this aspect of Mary’s humanity in all its fullness and all its pain.

Immediately following Jesus’ birth, Luke’s account tells us that God has greatly blessed Mary and has lifted her up from her lowliness. However, he goes on to tell us that this doesn’t mean she will be spared the human experience of grief and loss. Luke makes this point by introducing into his story of the beginning of Jesus’ life, a man named Simeon. Simeon first recognizes the infant Jesus as the Messiah. Then he addresses Mary with these haunting words, “And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

The reference is clear. A sword will pierce the body of Jesus. He will die a violent and unjust death upon a cross. But, says Simeon, his death will be a sword through Mary’s heart too.

We can hardly imagine the anguish, anger and despair which she felt as a mother. On the cross, Jesus endured the worst that human sin can inflict on another human being, and I think we can be sure that if she could have, Mary would gladly have traded places with him. Most mothers would, such is the depth of true motherly love for a child.

But Mary had to stand helplessly by, and suffer her own unspeakable pain. Not physical pain but emotional and spiritual pain. Those of us who have experienced real grief know that such emotional pain is every bit as painful as physical pain – or worse.

Mary, so joyous at the Annunciation, is at the crucifixion – a woman of sorrows. In her, we see the profound truth that God’s blessing in this life doesn’t mean freedom from suffering. We are blessed in many ways, and, yet, we suffer too. So maybe you’re tempted to ask: If God’s blessing doesn’t mean that we don’t suffer, what good is it to us? Is it really a blessing at all? It’s a good question, a serious question, and a question that deserves a serious answer.

For the Christian, that answer is found in the person of the child whom Mary bore, and in that horrible event which ended his earthly life. And that event was a sword which pierced Mary’s heart too, the crucifixion of Jesus.

Going back to Matthew’s story of the Annunciation, the angel says to Joseph that the child Mary is carrying will fulfill an ancient prophecy from Isaiah. The prophecy says that a child shall be born to be called Emmanuel. More importantly, we see him as Emmanuel, for the name Emmanuel in Hebrew means “God is with us.” To the Christian, the child Mary bore is God with us.

As Rev. T. Sorenson puts it, in Jesus Christ we see God with us in his life and in his teachings, but perhaps, even more importantly, we see God with us in Jesus on the cross. There, we see God in the person of Jesus, whom we confess to be the Son of God Incarnate, entering into the worst that human life can offer. We see God entering into physical suffering. We see God entering into the human experience of betrayal and abandonment, the human experience of injustice, and even the human experience of the absence of God.

In Jesus, we see God entering into all of those profoundly human experiences and sharing them with us. In Jesus, we see in the most real way possible, God’s promise that none of these things, that nothing in all creation, can separate us from the love of God. In Jesus on the cross, we see God standing in unshakable solidarity with all of humanity – in everything that happens to us.

We also see God standing in unshakable solidarity with Jesus as he cries out in despair at the human experience of God-forsakenness when he cries, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” And we see God standing in unshakable solidarity with Mary as that sword pierces her heart, as she feels her own unfathomable despair, her own inconsolable anguish.

This, after all, is why we remember Mary at all. In the Christian tradition, she is remembered as the mother of Emmanuel, of God with us. She’s remembered because through her, God came into our world. Through her, God came to us as one of us, to demonstrate the nature and will of God to us in the fullest measure that we humans are capable of receiving.

In early Christian centuries there was a great argument about whether it was appropriate to call Mary “Theotokos,” which means the God Bearer or, more commonly known as, the Mother of God.

Maybe, like many of the ancient Christians, you wonder how can anyone be the mother of God? And yet the Christian tradition declares that is exactly who Mary is. She is the Mother of God. More importantly, and beautifully, the Mother of God With Us. Through the son whom she brought into the world, we see and know that God is with us always, in everything, especially in our most profoundly human times, our times of pain, sorrow and grief. Mary felt all of those things.

We will never know if she understood her son the way we understand him. What we do know, however, is that in her experience of grief and pain and loss, she is a model of humanity. Mary was indeed, the woman of sorrow. And we too, are often people of sorrow. But through the child whom she brought into the world, we know that we are not alone in our sorrow and that Mary was not alone in hers. God was with her. God is with us. God is with you. For that we give thanks to God. And we give thanks to Mary, through whom the Good News of Jesus, the Good News of God’s unshakable solidarity with all of humanity, in everything that happens, came into the world.

When we look at the Biblical accounts of her, we see a remarkable woman. We see a strong, liberated, free woman who reaches for the stars and says yes to God. We see a prophet proclaiming God’s word of justice just as other prophets did before her and just as her son would do in his short life.

So with the angel we say, Ave Maria, Hail Mary … full of grace. As we repeat those words, let us remember that God is with us. God is with you, wherever you are in your life. Whether it be in your pain and suffering and grief … or joy, triumph and victory.

Rev. Dan Koeshall is the senior pastor at The Metropolitan Community Church (The Met), 2633 Denver Street, San Diego, California, themetchurch.org. Services every Sunday at 9 and 11 a.m.

Mary, the mother of Jesus, is not only the meek, mild, obedient woman the Christian tradition has turned her into, but also, a strong, morally autonomous, independent woman who does her own thinking, her own questioning, her own discerning and her own deciding.

For many of us, it’s a very different way of thinking about her. It’s different from the portrayal of her in Christmas pageants that I saw growing up, where she’s in the picture, wearing her traditional blue, and, being silent.

I attended Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena – it was predominantly a protestant seminary, but there were a few Catholics there. I befriended Sherry, thinking I was expanding my worldview!

Sherry had diabetes that was destroying the blood vessels behind her eyes, causing her to go blind. I remember when she told me she was going to go to Lourdes, a revered place in France where there was an apparition of the Virgin Mary and people who touched the water there were healed and cured of diseases.

She believed in God who could heal – and I told her I’d be praying for her on her trip. I couldn’t wait for her to get back – and when I saw her, she said it was a very moving experience.

After her next doctor’s appointment, the doctor shook his head and said, “I don’t understand it, your symptoms are reversing!” She was elated – I was thrilled! I asked her, “Sherry, who do you attribute your healing to?” “To God,” was her answer.

Mary was the conduit for God to work; was a faith connection to God for her.

I share this with you because my world view widened at that point. And I’m not asking you to believe one way or another, but to just widen your lens. Be open.

I want to add another dimension to that portrait of Mary as a liberated woman. This new dimension comes from the passage from Luke 2. That passage is known as the Magnificat – because its first word in Latin is magnificat. Translated to English, that word is magnify (to be held in greater esteem or respect).

The new dimension I want to add is the dimension of Mary as prophet. The Magnificat begins with lines that can be seen as reinforcing the image of Mary as lowly, humble and obedient: “My soul magnifies God, for God has looked with favor on the lowliness of God’s servant.”

The traditional interpretation of Mary sees these words as emphasizing Mary’s “lowliness,” a status in which Christian patriarchy has always wanted to keep her. (Remember, when these Gospels were written, it was during a time of a strong male-dominated Greek and Jewish culture).

Those lines are there, of course, but it seems to me that we can see the Magnificat as a hymn to Mary’s lowliness only if we ignore everything that comes after them.

Mary’s next lines are: “Surely from now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me.” These lines fit with the interpretation of the Annunciation that I suggested we think about last week – that in saying yes to God, Mary was reaching for this awesome opportunity, claiming her chance for something great with God, her chance really to be somebody.

Could it be that God doing great things for her was exactly what Mary was counting on?

According to the theologian, Rev. Tom Sorenson, these lines, like the Annunciation itself, are ambiguous. They don’t necessarily indicate a Mary meek and mild.

Now we come to the part of the Magnificat that really shows a Mary different from the traditional silent, meek and mild view of her and shows her as a prophet. She says, “God has shown strength with God’s arm; God has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts and lifted up the lowly; God has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.”

Now, to understand how these lines make Mary a prophet, we have to understand what a Biblical prophet actually is. The common understanding is that a prophet is someone who foresees the future. A much better understanding of the Biblical prophets is that they are people who proclaim God’s truth.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, a man by the name of Keith Green rose to prominence in the Christian community circles in my life. I was in college, seeking God’s will for my life and his music and words touched a chord in my heart. I remember saying out loud, if there ever was a modern day prophet, it was Keith Green. He grew up Jewish and Christian Scientist – and had a powerful experience with God after a bad trip on drugs. One of the quotes from him that has stuck with me is, “It’s time to quit playing church and start being the Church!”

Prophets affect people in a powerful way. We have one of our own too in the LGBT community – what about Troy Perry! The prophetic vision and call on his life birthed MCC worldwide! Prophets call for deeper commitment, challenge the status quo and they are people like the great writing prophets Amos, Hosea and Micah who proclaim God’s demand for justice; who say that what God wants from us is not empty worship, but lives devoted to justice for the poor and the vulnerable among us.

That’s the kind of prophet Mary is, although the way Luke puts it may not make that fact as clear as it might be. The words Luke puts in Mary’s mouth are in the past tense. According to theologian Sorenson, the verses I just quoted consist of three parallel statements, each of which begins by saying, “God has.”

The past tense of the verbs makes it sound like Mary is talking about things God did in the past. Yet, it’s pretty clear that the things Mary mentions God has not done in the past. The proud still have pride in their hearts. The powerful still sit on their thrones; even if those thrones look more like government offices and corporate board rooms than royal palaces. The lowly are still lowly. The rich are still full and the hungry are still hungry.

So how are we to understand Mary’s words?

What about looking at them as prophecy? Mary here isn’t talking about things God has literally done in the past, but about God’s will, God’s desire, God’s dream for the earth. It’s a dream of overturned hierarchical structures and justice for the least, the last and the lost.

When we understand Mary’s words this way, we see her as a prophet in the ancient tradition of Amos, Hosea and Micah. And of her son Jesus, whose proclamation of the realm of God her words foreshadow.

So, is Mary humble? Yes. She attributes all that is happening in her life to God – not to herself. Is Mary meek and mild? Hardly. She’s giving new voice to the prophetic thundering of Amos, with his, “Let justice roll down like waters.” Of Micah with his, “What does God require of you, but to do justice, and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” And of her son, Jesus, with his, “In as much as you have done it to one of the least of these, you have done it to me.”

I was recently honored to give the Invocation at the Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice of San Diego County’s annual breakfast.

“God of many names, God of the laborer,

God of the migrant and the ensnared,

The voice of the misused echoes across the land,

Overworked and undervalued in the name of profit.

Source of abundance and grace,

You call us to stand in the name of justice and fairness,

To witness against the abuse of economic power,

To speak out against exploitation.

Who will speak if we don’t!

Bless those who speak out for the voiceless and the forgotten

Give them courage and determination.

Give them wisdom and skill.

Bless those in financial need,

Release them from want.

May we all use our voice for justice and good.

Thank you, loving God, for all of your blessings.

Amen.”

Tradition doesn’t call Mary a prophet. Maybe it should. In the Magnificat, the humble young woman of low estate rises up and joins her voice, loud and strong, to the great prophetic tradition of Israel. With the ancient prophets, and with Jesus himself, she calls us to lives of justice and of peace, to work for the coming of the realm and the realization of God’s dream on earth. Amen.

Rev. Dan Koeshall is the senior pastor at The Metropolitan Community Church (The Met), 2633 Denver Street, San Diego, California, themetchurch.org. Services every Sunday at 9 and 11 a.m.

When people ask me to describe our church, I love to say, rather than being a non-denomination community church, we are a multi-denominational church! We come from so many different faith backgrounds. It makes for a very rich experience!

I grew up conservative Pentecostal – and God fit very neatly in a tidy, well-wrapped, little box for me and the church I attended. If you questioned God or the status quo, it was cause for suspicion. In fact, we were taught we were going to heaven and many other Christian denominations needed to be “saved.”

I like the fact that in this church, we can question, we can wonder and we don’t even need to have all the answers. No one has all the answers. We are all on a spiritual journey seeking an authentic relationship with a loving God.

When I was growing up, I was told to pray for my Catholic friends because they prayed to Mary.

Roman Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox churches have a high devotion to the Virgin Mary. They call it “Mariology.” They say they “venerate” Mary, they don’t worship her; but still, many churches say it’s more like Mariolatry; that is, it looks like they worship her as God when they should be worshipping Jesus and the God we know in and through Jesus.

Here comes the beauty of our church. When I would make hospital calls to people when I was a new pastor in Colorado Springs, I decided to learn the rosary. Why? In my visits to folk raised in the Catholic faith, it was a connection to God. And throughout the years this has proved a great comfort when I’m praying with someone raised in this tradition. “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.”

I think many Protestants are in some ways spiritually impoverished by their total rejection of Mary as a figure of the faith. There are important things that we can learn from the Biblical accounts of Mary.

I believe that it’s appropriate in this Advent season to learn from the stories about Mary in the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ birth. There aren’t very many of those stories. Only Matthew and Luke have any stories about Jesus’ birth at all, and those Gospel accounts contain only a few passages that deal with Mary.

I’m going to say something, and I hope I don’t offend you. Christianity is so spiritually impoverished by its one-sided maleness that I think it will do us good to take a look at a few of these passages; to look and see what the woman, Mary of Nazareth, has to say to us.

The Christian tradition calls “The Annunciation,” the announcement by an angel from God that Mary will bear a child who is to be the Son of God and it is a good place to start. In the Gospel of Matthew, Mary is mentioned briefly, and only once.

The striking thing about this passage is that although it mentions Mary, it really isn’t about Mary at all. It’s about Joseph.

The only thing Matthew says about Mary is that “she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit.” Matthew then switches his attention immediately from Mary to Joseph and the problem his miraculously pregnant fiancée creates for him. Matthew says he was going to send her away, presumably because at first he thought she had gotten pregnant through an act of infidelity with another man, but then comes what amounts to the Annunciation in Matthew’s account.

Here, however, the Annunciation, the heavenly announcement that Mary would bear a divine child, comes not to Mary but to Joseph. Here it is not Mary, but Joseph who does as the angel asks when he decides to marry Mary after all.

In Matthew’s version of the story, Mary is nearly absent. She has no voice. She is not consulted. She is given no choice. Matthew’s Mary has nothing to teach us because she is invisible. Matthew’s version of the Annunciation is a pure reflection of the sexism, the patriarchy and the male-centeredness, of both the Jewish culture and the Greek culture of the first century CE.

Now, compare that Mary to what we see in Luke’s story of The Annunciation. In Matthew, Mary is invisible. In Luke, she’s the main character in the story. Here, the archangel Gabriel comes not to Joseph, but to Mary, and he comes before Jesus’ miraculous conception, not after it as in Matthew.

As Luke tells the story, Gabriel’s words to Mary sound like a declaration, “And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son.” Yet when we read the whole story, could it not be possible that Gabriel is making a request to Mary, or perhaps, an offer to Mary, not issuing a command to her. After all, Luke ends his Annunciation story with Mary giving her consent: “Then Mary said, ‘Here am I, the servant of God; let it be with me according to your word.’” Mary’s consent wouldn’t be required if Gabriel’s’ words were a command rather than a request. (Something to think about.)

What a contrast to Matthew’s silent, invisible Mary! Right from the beginning we see that Mary is not a passive object as in Matthew, but an active character in the story. When Gabriel greets her she has a very human reaction. She was “much perplexed and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.” She doesn’t run to ask Joseph about it. This Mary does her own thinking and her own discerning. This Mary has moral autonomy in her own right. She makes her own decisions. She has the autonomy, the freedom, to say no, even to God. She asks questions: “How can this be?” And in the end she says, “Yes, let it be with me as you say.” This Mary is a woman, a fully equal, fully autonomous human being. Yes! Go, Mary!

And that “yes” of Mary’s is very interesting. The Christian tradition has typically used it to portray Mary as meek and mild, faithful and obedient, submissive even to the will of God – and the Christian tradition has, until very recently, seen God almost exclusively as male. So Mary becomes a symbol of the submission of women to men.

According to theologian, Rev. Tom Sorenson, Mary’s “yes” to Gabriel’s proposal is at least ambiguous. The traditional understanding of it as showing a meek and obedient spirit is certainly one way to read it. Interpreted this way, Mary becomes a model of faithful obedience and compliance. But isn’t there also another way to look at Mary’s yes? Consider this: Gabriel has just laid on her a whole lot of information about who this child she is being asked to bear would be. “He will be great, the Son of the Most High, the ruler over Israel forever. He will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.”

Could it be possible that Mary thought: “Wow! If this child is going to be all that, what an opportunity to be part of something great! Sure, I’ll face some ridicule and scorn as an unwed mother, but what a trade off! I’m all over this! Let’s do it!”

Now, that view of Mary is so different from how many of us have been taught to see her that it may be a bit hard to take. Fair enough, but the point remains. Even without that progressive interpretation, in Luke’s story of the Annunciation we have a picture of a woman that was absolutely revolutionary for the time and place in and for which it was written.

In his Mary, Luke gives us a picture of liberated womanhood. In Luke’s Mary, we see woman in her full, equal, God-given personhood. She stands in sharp contrast to Matthew’s invisible Mary, to whom something profound has happened but where she has no voice. Luke’s Mary throws down the gauntlet to the sexism of Luke’s day, and of ours, and says I am a person, a fully equal person capable of thought and insight, fully able to do my own discernment and make my own decisions.

And so it is especially ironic and, many would say, unfortunate that the Christian tradition has turned her into gentle Mary, meek and mild; into the model of woman subordinate to man whose only role is to consent.

Some Christian traditions have further deprived her of her full humanity by making her “ever virgin,” saying that she remained a virgin throughout her life, thereby denying the God-given goodness of female sexuality. Our tradition has made her a model of what many dominant men want women to be –compliant, obedient and non-threatening.

Today, I ask you to see her differently. I ask you to see her as a woman liberated, self-confident, self-assertive and self-sufficient … capable of her own moral decision making. Woman, as God created women to be.

That Mary, the Mary of Luke’s Annunciation story freed from its patriarchal interpretation, is a Mary worthy of her son, worthy of her traditional title of Mother of God and worthy of the God who created her. That is a Mary we can all admire and learn from. Amen.

PS: You are invited to our Christmas Eve candlelight services at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. I hope to see you!

Rev. Dan Koeshall is the senior pastor at The Metropolitan Community Church (The Met), 2633 Denver Street, San Diego, California, themetchurch.org. Services every Sunday at 9 and 11 a.m.

Something wonderful happened in my neighborhood about a year ago. A Farmer’s Market opened up and sets up every Saturday morning. The fresh food is good, but I like the fresh Belgian waffles the best! There’s a story about a mother and her young four-year-old son attending a local Farmers’ Market one day, when the young boy ran ahead to a wonderful looking fruit stand. The boy was given an orange by the guy in the stand. The small boy said something to the man and walked away. When he returned to his mom she asked, “I saw that nice man give you an orange. What did you say to him?” The boy looked back at her and said, “Can you peel it?”

As we are preparing for the upcoming holiday celebrations, it’s a good opportunity to take a break, take stock and give some thanks. In other words, show some gratitude.

One of the most prevalent sins in the world today is ingratitude. Yes, I said sins. Now, I don’t use that word often, but living with no sense of gratitude may be one of the saddest postures one can take in life. I define sin as anything that separates us from God and one another. So, being ungrateful, to me, is a sin. It’s very self-centered … all about me!

The holiday of Thanksgiving gave us a chance to show our gratitude. This holiday is based on the fact (and some of it myth) that the earliest European settlers who came to this country celebrated a holiday with their new found friends – the Native American Indians. The idea has stuck because it’s an ideal to which we still aspire: two groups of people working together for the common good who give thanks for the simple gift of peace and survival.

Both Native Americans and colonists had lost many members to disease, but in the midst of their struggles, they still found reasons to be grateful to God. After their corn harvest, the Pilgrims decided to set aside three days of prayer and thanksgiving at the end of November, and invited a group of friendly Native Americans to join them in the festivities.

Other American colonies had their individual celebrations, and in 1789 President George Washington proclaimed the first national Thanksgiving Day, saying it was: “To be devoted by the people of these states to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may unite in rendering sincere and humble thanks …”

We’ve come a long way from that. And now it’s football, turkey and shopping! But, for many of us, it’s still about finding reasons to be grateful – and then showing that gratitude in how we live.

In the big picture of things, we all have reasons to be grateful. While things may not be perfect, they are no doubt infinitely better than they could be.

Kaki Johnson, keeps a prayer journal, and I asked her to share some of it with me around the theme of gratitude.

“Thanksgiving opens the heart to God, to good, for thanksgiving gives focus to what is, not to what is not.”

“Thanksgiving focuses on what you have, what you see, what is in the presence. Daily practice of thanksgiving settles the soul, comforts the mind and attunes you with God. Thanksgiving actively releases energy.”

Powerful words.

I ran across a poem recently, I think you’ll like it!

Cookies

The woman arrived at an airport one night,

With several long hours before her flight.

She hunted for a book in the airport shop,

Bought a bag of cookies and found a place to drop.

She was engrossed in her book, but happened to see,

That the man sitting beside her, as bold as could be,

Grabbed a cookie or two from the bag in between,

Which she tried to ignore to avoid a scene.

So she munched the cookies and watched the clock,

As the gutsy cookie thief diminished her stock.

She was getting more irritated as the minutes ticked by,

Thinking, “If I wasn’t so nice, I would blacken his eye.”

With each cookie she took, he took one too;

When only one was left, she wondered what he would do.

With a smile on his face, and a nervous laugh,

He took the last cookie and broke it in half.

He offered her half, as he ate the other,

She snatched it from him and thought … “Oh, brother!”

This guy has some nerve and he’s also rude,

Why he didn’t even show any gratitude!

She had never known when she had been so galled,

And sighed with relief when her flight was called.

She gathered her belongings and headed to the gate,

Refusing to look back at the thieving ingrate.

She boarded the plane, and sank in her seat,

And then she sought her book, which was almost complete.

As she reached in her bag, she gasped with surprise;

There was her bag of cookies in front of her eyes.

If mine are here, she moaned in despair,

The others were his, and he tried to share.

Too late to apologize, she realized with grief,

That she was the rude one, the ingrate, the thief!

How many times have we absolutely known that something was a certain way, only to find out later that what we believed to be true was not? Keep an open mind and an open heart, because you just never know, you might be eating someone else’s cookies!

We sing a song, “I’ll say yes, God, yes, to your will and to your way …” It’s easy to sing that, but many times we have no idea what God’s will is for our lives. We make it so difficult. If you ever wanted to know God’s will for your life, well, I Thessalonians has it neatly packaged for you.

Rejoice always.

Pray without ceasing.

Give thanks in all circumstances.

Amen!

PS: You are invited to our Christmas Eve candlelight services at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. I hope to see you!

Rev. Dan Koeshall is the senior pastor at The Metropolitan Community Church (The Met), 2633 Denver Street, San Diego, California, themetchurch.org. Services every Sunday at 9 and 11 a.m.

Thank you, again, for the wonderful surprise for Pastor Appreciation Day! I was so touched by your kind words and the cards I received. I was also touched that on the beautiful plaque you gave me, it had inscribed on it my Life Verse.

A Life Verse is something that we hold on to as our very own. It’s a verse that can bring encouragement, hope and comfort no matter what the circumstances. Many of you have shared your Life Verse with me – and the story behind why that particular verse is significant for you.

All Saints Day is where we honor those loved ones who have gone on ahead of us. While I was back in the Midwest a couple weeks ago, I visited our family cemetery in Minnesota – and my mom has her Life Verse engraved on her stone – Phil 4:13! And after her passing, while I was taking care of her arrangements, I thought, “Why not take care of mine at the same time?” So, I ordered a beautiful bench – with my Life Verse engraved on it – Phil 4:6-7! Nothing like planning ahead!

During times of sorrow and grief we often hear these words, “Peace be with you.” Or, “Rest in peace.” And we want that not only for our loved ones, but also for ourselves.

Our biblical word for peace, Shalom, comes from an ancient Akkadian word “salaimu” which means to be healthy, whole, complete.

Physically, it signals health; emotionally, it means to be centered – at one with yourself; spiritually, it means to be rounded or complete – to have balance and values that not only allow you to face life’s challenges with steadiness, but also to creatively shape the world and make people and things around us grow.

Morally, it is when there is congruence between your inner spirit and your outer actions. When you are consistent in integrity. The Greeks had a word for that (galene); it was the same word they used for the calm sea, when your conscience is calm and even because you have integrity.

Economically, it’s what follows when you’ve repaid your debts; interpersonally, it’s what follows when you live up to your vows and are faithful and responsible.

Socially, it’s the result of people in agreement. The Greek word homonia, Paul uses to describe what the Church looks like when people are in harmony with one another.

The deeper peace of Shalom is a combination of truth and social justice. It looks forward to the eradication of the very root causes of conflict and friction. That is true Shalom.

The simple prayer attributed to St. Francis describes this so well.

“Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.

Where there is hatred … let me sow love

Where there is injury … pardon

Where there is doubt … faith

Where there is despair … hope

Where there is darkness … light

Where there is sadness … joy

Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek

To be consoled … as to console

To be understood … as to understand,

To be loved … as to love

For it is in giving … that we receive,

It is in pardoning, that we are pardoned,

It is in dying … that we are born to eternal life”

There are so many places in the Bible where we read about living in peace. In Isaiah 11, we are given a picture of that peaceable realm. “The wolf shall lie down with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the baby goat and the calf and the lion shall dwell together … the cow and the bear shall feed together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.” Don’t tell me there won’t be animals in heaven!

When the writers of the gospels looked back on the life of Jesus and remembered the prophecies of Isaiah, they called him the “Prince of Peace.” Charles Rush says that when they wrote the story of Jesus’ birth, they did it in a very clever way. On the one hand, they did it to lift up the ways that Jesus fulfilled the prophecies of Isaiah and Micah. On the other hand, they took the broad outlines of a familiar Roman practice of telling of the birth of a Roman emperor.

These stories illustrated how the gods blessed the emperor with a destiny to rule and miraculous powers to conquer and subject others to their will. But in Luke, when Jesus is born, it’s not the powers of conquest or might that are lifted up. Rather, the angels sing, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among all people with whom God is pleased.” Not just the Romans, not just the Jews with whom God is pleased … but all people. And it is not about ruling, but about peace and harmony.

At the heart of Jesus’ message is the gospel of peace. It’s not just a footnote, nor an editorial comment in the margins, it is central. When Jesus sent out his disciples, in the Gospel of Luke, they carried no physical protection, not even a purse or a bag for support. And he tells them, to each house you enter, say “Peace be upon this house and if a child of peace lives in that house, your peace shall rest upon them.”

When Jesus heals a woman with a wound that wouldn’t stop bleeding, he says to her, “Go in peace.” When a woman comes to him seeking forgiveness for something she had done, he blesses her and says, “Go in peace.”

In the Gospel of John, just before he is arrested and will be killed, Jesus speaks to his disciples, summarizing everything that he wants to tell them. There, he speaks of the importance of dwelling in love and then he says, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you, not as the world gives … Let not your hearts be troubled, neither be afraid.”

And after Jesus dies, when the disciples are locked in a room because they are afraid, Jesus appears to them and says, “Peace be with you. As God has sent me, so send I you.” And he breathes his spirit upon them. And he breathes it upon you.

Peace – Supernatural Peace. Peace in the midst of the storm. Peace in the midst of dying. Peace in the midst of the unknown.

Be anxious for nothing – don’t worry. But in everything – by prayer, and supplication, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses ALL understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

I hope for you, in the midst of your struggles, that peace.

As I was watching the news as Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast one journalist was sharing how she was out in the street, looking at the downed trees and the mess from the high waters when all of sudden the sun came out and they looked up and saw this bright, clear, pronounced rainbow.

And a hush came over everyone. They all stopped what they were doing and just took a moment, in silence, together. Probably so many different thoughts going through their heads, but as the reporter told what happened, it felt as if there was a mysterious peace that came over them. Peace, in the midst of the chaos and destruction.

In your life, filled with your own particular struggles, I hope for you that mysterious peace. I hope that you can breathe in the spirit of peace. That you can touch others with that holy peace, and that you, in your own way, can do the things in your life that make room for peace.

Let God breathe the life of peace in you.

Peace be with you. Amen.

Rev. Dan Koeshall is the senior pastor at The Metropolitan Community Church (The Met), 2633 Denver Street, San Diego, California, themetchurch.org. Services every Sunday at 9 and 11 a.m.

In this article, I give to you a very special invitation to cultivate gratitude and gratefulness as your basic attitude toward life; as the very ground of your being.

Gratefulness is powerful. It’s one of the most powerful forces in the world. Gratefulness makes all the difference between just going through the motions and really being alive. In spiritual terms, gratefulness is the difference between having a heart of stone and receiving a heart of flesh from a loving God who created you with a plan and a purpose for your life.

Theologian Deitreich Bonhoeffer said that it’s only through gratitude that life becomes rich. The Koran says that if you count God’s blessings, you will not be able to number them. And there’s a Jewish proverb that says we will never know all that we should be grateful to God for.

Gratefulness is extraordinarily powerful. Thomas Merton in his book, No Man is an Island, said that someone who is ungrateful admits that they don’t know God. And he goes on to say that if we are not aware of our gratitude, we don’t really know who we, ourselves, are; and, he goes on to say if we’re not aware of gratitude, we are not in touch with our life and what it means to be alive and to truly be. To be grateful is to be the recipient of a gift. And the most basic gift is life itself. Today, this present moment.

One of the most powerful ways to open up our hearts, to allow God freedom to remove our heart of stone and to give to us a heart of flesh, is by softening it by becoming in touch with our thankfulness, our gratitude.

Now, sometimes this is really easy, right? It’s easy when things are going just how you want them to go or when something surprises you in a most delightful way, then, it feels spontaneous.

Gratitude just wells up in us and we feel joy. But at other times, every now and then, it’s a little tougher.

A Benedictine monk, Brother David Steindl-Rast, has come up with three steps that he says can always be found in gratitude. These steps happen spontaneously when things are going well, but at other times they require our conscious intervention. The three steps rely upon the work of our intellect, our will and our emotions.

The first step needs the work of our intellect. In order to feel grateful we recognize the gift with our intellect. Again, sometimes this is really easy, and sometimes it’s hard. In order to recognize the gift we need to wake up, we need to notice, we need to see: Ah! A gift!

God has planted, sprinkled, placed uncountable gifts in every moment, but our intellect needs to recognize them as gifts. (Remember finding pictures hidden within a picture?) We need to wake up, be aware, to get our nose out of whatever we’re doing and step back just for a moment to see.

The second thing we need to do requires our will; that is, we need to acknowledge the gift. First we need to recognize the gift and then we need to acknowledge it. We need to say, “Ah, you! I know you!”

To acknowledge a gift means that we’re acknowledging something outside of ourselves because a gift doesn’t come from us, it comes from someone or somewhere else. To acknowledge a gift is actually very powerful because when we acknowledge a gift, we are stepping outside of our isolation and our aloneness. This is an act of our will.

There’s a tendency in us human beings, especially we Americans, to believe that we’re self-sufficient and totally independent and that we don’t need others. We might not think this with our minds, but we live this with our hearts thinking that we’ve got it all together. “Leave me alone. I can do it.”

Being able to acknowledge a gift is stepping out of our sense of isolation and aloneness. And when we are able to do this with our will, we are able to connect and form a common unity and step into intimacy.

And the third thing we need to do in order to experience gratitude requires our emotions. We need to accept the gift with our whole heart. We need to say, “Yes!”

Recognizing a gift is like being asked to dance. Someone is saying, “Dance with me,” and we accept with our whole heart and say, “Yes, I will step into this crazy, wild, chaotic, confusing, sometimes-distressing dance.”

The best way to say yes and accept the gift is with open arms. It’s difficult to accept a gift with your arms folded across your chest. You can only accept a gift with your arms wide open. Yet we all know it’s scary holding our arms wide open, don’t we?

How many of you remember going to your high school dances? I doubt this has ever happened to any of you … but, let’s say you’re at a dance and it looks like someone across the room is looking at you and smiling at you and the impression you have is that they are asking you, “Will you dance with me?” And you say, “Yes!”

And then, it starts to unfold, they walk in your direction, getting closer and walk right by you and ask the person behind you. You feel crushed and humiliated and embarrassed. But not all is lost – you were open. So what does this have to do with gratitude?

Being grateful doesn’t protect us from embarrassment, humiliation, pain and sorrow; it doesn’t protect us from any of that. But if we’re able to incorporate gratitude into our basic attitude toward life and make it a part of the ground of our being, it gives us a place to go spiritually … it’s a fertile foundation.

Counting your blessings doesn’t mean that you no longer feel the grief or the confusion or the sorrow. It means you’re feeling all of that and you’re also feeling a sense of warmth, peace, purpose and connection.

So, in life, when where we’re mistakenly thinking that we’re being asked to dance, how can we find gratitude in that moment? Well, we can be grateful that we realized that we wanted to dance. And we can go out and find other ways to bring dancing into our life.

As many of you know, my morning routine involves my neighborhood Starbucks. There’s not always parking – and two mornings a week there’s street cleaning, making even less parking. Many mornings I go with a positive attitude that I’ll find a spot right by the front door – so this week, I had to park a long block away. My mind starts muttering, but then I get out and feel the cool breeze but the warm sun; notice the changing color of the leaves; said hi to two people walking their dogs – and it was a good morning to be able to walk and enjoy a beautiful morning – then I realized that I’m walking – and have that ability! And that I have a car to get me to the parking space in the first place! And that a Christmas Blend (before Thanksgiving) tastes so good! Maybe it was because I was working on this piece that these little thoughts came into my head … but I hope not. I want gratitude to be always my response! That’s why I’m sharing this with you.

I might not always be able to park right in front of my destination. Life isn’t always like that. I realized a sense of entitlement rising within me. Then I let go of it and recognized the gift. I acknowledged the gift and I started naming it. And once I started I saw another gift and then another and then another, and I saw that my gifts were countless. I practically forgot what I was doing because I was so excited. I actually went to the creamer station without my coffee cup!

I was appreciating the moment. And then I got an extra bonus because I realized that I could use this as my example for you.

There are, countless ways to incorporate these steps of gratitude into our daily lives; but here are three quick ones.

First: This is the day God has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it! You can say that to yourselves every morning when you wake up. What a wonderful way to start the day and invite gratitude in.

Second, when you say a prayer at your evening meal either by yourselves or with family members have each person name one thing that they’re grateful for that day and incorporate the answers into your prayer. Remember that all gratitudes are accepted, from the most basic to the most profound.

Finally, throughout your day if you find yourself getting irritated or upset, challenge yourself to find gold in that moment and in that experience. That doesn’t mean that you have to be grateful that things are not going the way you wanted them; you don’t have to be grateful that you can’t find a parking place. But do find gratitude in the experience.

Have it be a treasure hunt with you and God. Remember those puzzles where you had to find objects hidden in the picture?

Take this as a challenge then. Whatever the experience, find the gratitude in it. And let that gratitude touch you and fill you. It will not wipe away the painful feelings, but it will help you feel some peace and joy at the same time.

Let’s join the psalmist saying:

It is good to give thanks to you, God,

To sing praises to your name, O most High;

To declare your steadfast love in the morning,

And your faithfulness by night,

To the music of the lute and the harp, to the melody of the lyre,

For you, O God, have made me glad by your work;

At the works of your hands I sing for joy.

How great are your works, O God!

Your thoughts are very deep!

Amen.

Rev. Dan Koeshall is the senior pastor at The Metropolitan Community Church (The Met), 2633 Denver Street, San Diego, California, themetchurch.org. Services every Sunday at 9 and 11 a.m.

A pastor asked her congregation one Sunday morning to read the 17th chapter of Mark in preparation for the following Sunday’s sermon. So, before giving the sermon the following Sunday, she asked how many had read Mark 17. Every hand went up. The pastor said, “Well, I have the right audience for my sermon today. It deals with liars. There is no 17th chapter in Mark’s Gospel.”

This article is not for liars, but for those experiencing fear. I think there might be a few people reading this who are fearful of something. (For me, it’s snakes!) For those of us with fears and apprehensions, the question is not, “Are you afraid?” but rather, “What are you afraid of?”

There are so many things. There is the fear of failure, of losing independence, of old age. There is the fear of the future and the unknown. There is the fear of losing home or job. There is the fear of failing health, the fear of cancer and the fear of death. There is the fear of being alone, of being unwanted or unneeded. There is also fear in the midst of an economy that just keeps on struggling.

I heard a story of two older children left alone to care for their baby five-year-old brother. During a storm the older ones got afraid and started to cry. Their baby brother said, “Stop crying. Don’t you think God knows what’s going on here?”

Imagine a little bird sitting serenely on a branch as the wind is whipping the branch all over, almost to the point of snapping. All throughout the impending storm, the bird keeps on singing, holding on to that branch, singing! Why? It has an alternative to destruction. The bird has wings! We have wings too – those wings are called hope!

Hope in the midst of struggles. No matter what they might be. Life is full of struggles and things that bring us fear. That’s life – but we have choices, don’t we. We can look at the negative; we can look at the doom and gloom and let that be our focus. Or, we can change our perspective – even in the midst of reality, in the midst of our struggles, and look to the One who has promised to be with us. The One who has plans for your good and not for your harm, to give you a future – with hope!

Let me tell you about my growing up – being raised in a preacher’s home until I was 5-years-old had its plusses and minuses. We always had a lot of fresh canned vegetables and delicious baked goods from the salt of the earth people in central Wisconsin – but there was also the occasional drama (No! not in a church!) and the reason why people brought us food was because my dad’s salary wasn’t enough to put food on the table for all of us – and pay the rest of the bills. My dad left the ministry and in the next five years went to college; got some other jobs and then my parents got a divorce. This was a tough time! We had to sell our home and move – we simply couldn’t pay the bills and make the mortgage.

With her high school education, my mom got a job – and ended up staying with it, being faithful and getting promotions – taking the bus to work in the hot summer and the freezing cold winters – retiring after 30 years! That was a happy day! She had a good retirement – because she had put in so many years and God had always provided for us as a family.

I never wanted for anything. I always had clothes, shoes, a cozy, clean home and food to eat. I didn’t know we were a poor family. I grew up thinking we were a normal middle class family. I didn’t know it wasn’t normal to have steak on the grill only once a summer – I guess that made it that much more special. We had hamburgers and tube steaks – the fancy name for hot dogs – when we grilled! And, growing up in Wisconsin, we also had freshly made bratwursts!

I grew up knowing I was to go to college – it was an expectation – and I did, and I also knew that I had to support myself. There was no other option. So, I worked, saved, got grants and scholarships and loans.

All through my growing-up years though, mom taught me by example, like giving a tithe to our church. It was the first check she’d always write when she was sitting down to pay the bills. I really believe God honored that – and somehow caused our cars to last a long time, the tires to not wear out so fast, our shoes to not wear through quickly and on and on. Call me crazy – but I believe it.

In college, I had a bumper sticker I took with me from dorm room to dorm room. I put it in front of my desk always staring at me, next to my calendar. It said this, “God has everything under control!” Those five words carried me through many struggles and trials. It became my mantra in college and in my 20s. “God has everything under control.”

Jesus says in the midst of the storms, “Fear not.” In the midst of turbulence, “Fear not.” In the midst of struggles, “Fear not!”

I can just hear Jesus saying, “Don’t be afraid …”

At the Blessing of the Animals in Balboa Park, it was such a delight to see so many people in their element with the loves of their lives! Our pets really are like family! The blessings were so meaningful – and touching. Well, you can imagine all of these beautiful creatures of all sizes – staring at each other, sizing up each other, smelling each other; and some of the dogs were afraid at times. And then to hear, in such a calm, reassuring tone, the proud owner of that dog saying, “Don’t be afraid, you’re alright.” That dog settled down and trusted those words.

Well, that is what God is saying to us in the midst of struggles; yes, even economic turbulence, “Don’t be afraid. I have everything under control. Trust me.”

My reading last week was about birds – no, it’s not for the birds, but talks about little sparrows. They’re everywhere, especially at outdoor patios and in my birdbath in my front yard. Jesus says, that not one sparrow falls to the ground without God knowing about it. That’s amazing! And what’s even more amazing is that God cares so much about you and me that God even knows the number of hairs on our head – each of us!

As I say to people who are going through a tough time, and it’s difficult for them even to receive love and care from people, I just gently say, “Feel the love.” And I say to you, “Feel God’s love, and receive the love for you – no matter the struggle you’re going through.”

Isaiah 41 says, “Fear not, for I am with you, be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.”

Grab on to hope. Let that hope be your wings in the midst of your struggles.

Rev. Dan Koeshall is the Senior Pastor at The Metropolitan Community Church (The Met)

in San Diego, California, themetchurch.org

What a week! So many high emotions! So many low emotions! So many mixed emotions! I am so grateful for the many strides for the advancement of equality – and the many progressive benchmarks reached – and passed!

California Faith for Equality said: “We woke up in a different world this morning, a world where equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people is embraced by the populace. As the results of the election continue to come in we know we live in a country where:

• Maine, Maryland and Washington’s citizens support marriage equality

• Minnesotans refused to allow bigotry to be written into their state’s constitution

• Tammy Baldwin (D) will be the first openly lesbian United States senator

• Mark Takano (D) will be the first openly gay person of color to serve in Congress representing California’s District 41

• LGBT California Assemblymembers including Speaker John A. Perez, Sen. Mark Leno, and Assemblymembers Tom Ammiano, Toni Atkins and Rich Gordon were re-elected.”

We celebrate equality! And, as the votes were tallied, no matter what the results – there are many people (almost half of the country/city) who are upset and are having to accept what is. This is true in elections, and this is also true in so many areas of life.

I want to talk to you about acceptance. And this isn’t about politics. I was thinking about what to write last Sunday after church – knowing this week was going to be highly emotional. I didn’t know what the results were going to be, I didn’t know how I’d be feeling … and so I wanted to focus on the practice of acceptance in life. Because life doesn’t always go the way we want it to go.

If I were to give you something and you were willing to receive it for what it is, you’ve just practiced acceptance. But, if you are left, wanting more from me, or with the expectation that it’s anything more than what it is, then are you really practicing acceptance?

To receive something for what it is – without protest or attempting to change it, that’s true acceptance. Now, this can be more difficult at some times than others. There are times that you may be faced with an uncomfortable situation, that though, it may not be ideal, when you choose to let it be what it is, that is practicing acceptance.

Self-acceptance is being loving and happy with who you are – now. It’s an agreement with yourself to appreciate, validate, accept and support who you are at this moment.

For example, think of acceptance of yourself like being OK with where you’re living right now. One day you might want a change or have this dream house in your mind, but there are advantages to your home right now. So you can be happy with the house you have now and still dream of your dream house as a reality later.

Self-acceptance leads to new life, with new possibilities that didn’t exist before, because you were caught up in the fight against reality. People have trouble accepting themselves for many reasons. Some have this misconception that if you are happy with yourself, you won’t change things about yourself – and you won’t grow. This isn’t true, you don’t have to be unhappy with yourself to know and actively change things you don’t like.

Acceptance could be called the first step in change. The desire to change can actually be helped by the practice of acceptance and change may require acceptance for it to come to fruition.

To accept things for what they are is acceptance. You may ask, “How can acceptance be used to resolve situations where a person feels disturbed by something or someone?” I’m glad you asked! Once there is full acceptance, then it may be a catalyst for change. So, the change has to come from within yourself, and that can only be faced after acceptance.

There is also a difference between acceptance and resignation. Acceptance doesn’t mean you put your hands up in the air and say, “I give up!” Realization has a lot to do with acceptance when it comes to loss of any kind (relationships, jobs, opportunities, or the death of someone close to you.) Accepting a person is gone when dealing with death can be one of the hardest losses to find the strength to practice acceptance.

Acceptance of a loss, whatever the loss is, doesn’t mean you are forgetting or that you won’t ever feel sad again. Acceptance is a turning point that means better things are to come.

It can be hard to define the stages of acceptance when dealing with loss, for example. You may think your feelings should be more intense, or different or that you should feel better or worse. Just remember acceptance comes in phases just like everything else.

Elizabeth Kubler-Ross has indicated five stages by which people usually deal with grief and tragedy and ultimately it must end in acceptance.

Understanding the five stages that ultimately end in acceptance not only helps you come to acceptance, but can help you comfort someone else while they find acceptance. The steps to acceptance don’t necessarily come in any order, nor are all steps experienced by all people. People may switch between two or more stages, returning to them several times before finding acceptance.

As people experience the stages they shouldn’t force the process. Just be aware that the stages will be worked through and the ultimate stage of acceptance will be reached.

Finding the way to acceptance is very personal and should not be rushed, or lengthened, or have any imposed time frame.

The stage of denial is usually only a temporary defense for people. This feeling heightens awareness of situations and is important in bringing about acceptance. “This can’t be happening, not to me.” When a person is feeling this or another form of this, they will more than likely soon recognize that denial can’t continue.

They may move on to the stage of anger. “Why me? It’s not fair!” “How can this happen to me?” “Who is to blame?” are all examples of how anger replaces denial and is part of bringing about acceptance.

The stage that involves bargaining usually comes in the form of some type of negotiation with someone or God. “Just give me one more chance, I’ll change.” “I’ll do anything for another chance.” Sometimes bargaining works to avoid acceptance for the time being, and when it fails it’s usually followed by a stage of depression, and the person begins to dwell on the magnitude of their problems (they feel sorry for themselves). Because of this, they may become silent, become distant, refuse visitors and spend much of the time crying or grieving. They may revisit other stages to acceptance even disconnect themselves from things they love, and people they love and refuse affection. The sad thing is that little can be done to cheer up an individual that is in this stage, though it’s an important stage, and only time will lead them to acceptance.

When a person says, “I’m so sad, I’m so frustrated, why bother with anything?” “I miss my loved one, why go on?” They may be crying out for someone to listen to them and feel their pain and help them find acceptance.

When a person starts to find peace and understanding then they are finding acceptance and may say things like, “It’s going to be OK.” “I can’t fight it, I may as well accept it.” And when they have acceptance their whole outlook will change. Then the real change can begin.

Think about situations in your own life where this may be the case … or in the life of a loved one. Know that practicing acceptance is a gateway to healing. We’ve just come through a very divided election in our country and in our city. It is only in unity will we be able to move forward. To accept what is, work together to make positive changes for that which we love and then move forward – together.

Romans 15:5-7 talks about God giving endurance and encouragement – and giving us a spirit of unity. Why? For what purpose? So that we may be able to proclaim, with one heart and mouth, the Good News of God’s unconditional love to all people. Folks, we have Good News to share – we have a message so vital, so vibrant, inclusive and progressive that people are hungry for in our world today!

It’s a message that has its roots in the marginalized and oppressed, and it’s a message that transcends any group.

So, Romans admonishes us to accept one another – with our warts and pimples, just as Christ accepts us! This is what we need to hear – and take into our hearts. Hear it!

You are accepted by God – therefore we can accept ourselves and each other. And we can also accept those things that come into our lives, no matter how difficult they may be. Not in a “throw up your arms” way, but in a way of accepting what is and then being able to heal, grow, learn and move forward.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says God, “plans for your good, to prosper you – and not for your harm, but to give you a future with hope …”

We all want the good things God has for us, our families and friends. Through the practice of acceptance of what is, people and situations for who they are, we will find peace. Acceptance will help us find that peace – together – and make this world a better place. Amen.

Rev. Dan Koeshall is the Senior Pastor at The Metropolitan Community Church (The Met) in San Diego, California, themetchurch.org

PHOTOS.COM

“Somewhere Over the Rainbow” is such a beautiful song. And it means so many things to so many people. It’s a song about looking for a promised land; it’s a song about longing for something better; it’s a song about hope.

We have just completed our annual stewardship campaign and it was a reminder to give God thanks for the many blessings that are ours; and I thank God and I thank you for your generosity. We belong to a God of abundance!

As we move forward in faith, I realize that we are not in a perfect economy. You may be going through some difficult times, emotionally, financially, at work, at school, in a relationship. We all have moments of struggles – that’s part of life. It’s how we respond to them that makes all the difference.

Paramahansa Yogananda said, “I will try to be happy under all circumstances. I will make up my mind to be happy within myself right now, where I am today.”

That is similar to one of my favorite Bible verses: “This is the day that God has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it.”

And Paul said in the New Testament: “Rejoice in God – and again – I say rejoice!”

It was recently National Coming Out day – for some of you, you were born out of the closet and it was never an issue. That’s great! And for others of us, it was a struggle! It will be 15 years next month that I got kicked out of the church I was serving for almost 10 years. Why did I get kicked out? For coming out as a gay Christian man – unwilling to remain in the closet. Those years leading up to my coming out were not always easy. There were painful moments – especially as I was hearing from the church how the core of my identity was basically wrong and I was damned to hell for expressing who I was created to be.

There were many sermons, teachings, jokes and negative comments about homosexuality in the church where I grew up. It was not safe to come out of the closet. But I wanted to! And I did! And I don’t regret it for one second.

Since my coming out, there has been greater acceptance of same-sex relationships in the world and also in several churches. I’m glad for that – and yes – there’s still a long way to go. I’m so grateful that our church exists. I don’t know where I’d be today if it wasn’t for this place. Here you are not just tolerated – you are celebrated.

As a pastor, one of the great joys I have is being able to preside at weddings and Holy Unions. I celebrate love – in all of its forms! How exciting it was in 2008, during that brief window, where I was able to perform same-sex marriages – and be able to pronounce, by the power vested in me by Metropolitan Community Church and the state of California. It was always met with applause! Oh, I’ve come a long way from this theologically conservative Pentecostal boy from the Midwest – what a journey!

However, not only did I come out, and go through the process, but since then, many of my close heterosexual friends and family members have had to make that same journey with me. I applaud their courage and rejoice in their support.

However, there are many people, especially in many churches who are just so against anything that is gay – or LGBT! It seems that it is so fear-based.

Now, I don’t want to imply that all people who oppose same-sex relationships, or who oppose homosexuality in general, are bad people. Many of them are good people, trying to live according to their beliefs.

Something significant happened this past May. Our president has come out – publically – as stating he is in favor of same-sex marriage! That’s amazing! But talk about polarizing … people are either applauding or appalled.

But, the ones opposed to same-sex marriage usually base their beliefs on one of four reasons. Many people who oppose same-sex marriage cite a biblical reference against it as the reason for their opposition. Others say that a child needs parents of both sexes as role models, to develop in the most-healthy way possible. Still others cite nature, claiming that the natural form of love and sex is one male and one female, so that should be the normative and legally acceptable form. And, the last common reason used by opponents of same-sex marriage is an appeal to history. If marriage has always been between one woman and one man, then it should continue to be so.

Now, I have family members who believe these things, and I still don’t think that any of these reasons are legitimate, but are actually misunderstandings.

For example, the Bible verses most commonly used to oppose homosexuality are Leviticus 18:22 and Leviticus 20:13. Both of these say something like, “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman.” However, Leviticus chapter 20, verse 9 says, “All who curse father or mother shall be put to death;” and other passages from Leviticus outlaw beard trimming (19:27), tattoos (19:28), the eating of pork or shellfish (11:7, 11:10), and the wearing of two fibers at once (19:19).

According to Chip Roush, if everyone who used these Bible verses to decry homosexuality would also want to outlaw pork and tattoos, it would at least feel as if they were being consistent. And we haven’t even gotten to Exodus 21:7, which begins, “When a man sells his daughter as a slave …”

Virtually nobody believes in selling daughters into slavery, and few seriously want to put rebellious teenagers to death. If they are going to pick and choose which verses to take literally and which to ignore, then I say we ignore the ones about lying with men as with women too.

As for children needing two parents of the opposite sex, well, I know some children who were raised by same-sex couples who are wonderful human beings; and I know quite a few who were raised by opposite-sex couples who are … not so wonderful. And we know lots of single parents who are good parents, too, so this objection simply doesn’t hold water, either.

Besides, marriage is about more than just having or raising children. What about people who cannot, or who can no longer, have children. Shouldn’t they be allowed to marry also?

Now, when people say that homosexuality is not “natural,” I refer them to any one of many articles or books that show that homosexuality has been observed in 1,500 different species of animals, and well-documented in more than 500. Petter Bockman says, “No species has been found in which homosexual behavior has not been shown to exist, with the exception of species that never have sex at all, such as sea urchins.”

And within the human community, homosexuality is known to occur in virtually every culture we know. Bisexual, gay, lesbian and transgender behaviors are “entirely” natural. Which leaves us only the historical argument – which is again, easily demolished.

The ancient Greeks and Romans both had forms of socially-sanctioned, same-sex relationships. Similar relationships occurred in ancient Asia, as well.

The first recorded mention of a same-sex marriage in the West occurred in the early Roman Empire, where Cicero records it in passing, as if it were commonplace. Other historians mention numerous gay weddings, and the practice seemed entirely common until Christianity became the official religion of the empire.

During the Middle Ages, there are many accounts of same-sex partnerships. These were not called marriages, but rather “enbrotherments,” and they even offered most of the benefits of today’s civil unions.

Finally, the historical argument brings us back to the Hebrew Bible, where we find written accounts of same-sex relationships. (See Religious Tolerance.org)

In the book of Ruth, after their men have died in a famine, Ruth tells her mother-in-law, Naomi, (Ruth 1:16) “Where you go, I will go; where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God.” In the King James translation, it says that Ruth “clave” to Naomi, (Ruth 1:14) using the same word that is used in the description of heterosexual marriage in Genesis: 2:24, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.”

The books of first and second Samuel describe a relationship between David, who was to become King David, and a man named Jonathan. I Samuel, 18:3-4 states, “And Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself. Jonathan took off the robe he was wearing and gave it to David.” I must admit, many conservative theologians disagree with this interpretation, but I think it’s pretty clear: Jonathan loved David as himself, and then he got naked with him.

Later, Jonathan’s father finds out, and threatens to kill David, so David has to leave. The book describes their parting: (1 Samuel 20:41) “David got up … and bowed down before Jonathan three times, with his face to the ground. Then they kissed one another and wept with one another, until David exceeded.” I’ll leave you to translate what that means, but I will say, it is evidently so dangerous that some modern translators deliberately mistranslate it as “they sadly shook hands.”

I think that arguments against same-sex relationships are rationalizations, which amount to little more than “I don’t like this, it makes me feel uncomfortable, and so I want it outlawed for all people.”

The good news is, that more and more people are seeing those reasons as the rationalizations they are, and more and more states and nations are granting same-sex rights.

Many of you here have come from churches where you were told that coming out of the closet would be a sin. That is was wrong. And if you’re like me, it caused you much heartache and anguish as you struggled to find hope and the good news in reconciling your sexuality and spirituality.

I’m here to tell you God loves you as you are! We are all children of God. God has no step-children!

Let’s receive the hope and love that God has for us. Let’s celebrate and spread the Good News of God’s inclusive love for all people.

“For surely I know the plans I have for you, says God, plans for your welfare, your good, and not for your harm, to give you a future with hope … call upon me and I will hear you … search for me and you will find me.”

Somewhere over the rainbow … way up high. If happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow why, oh why, can’t I!

Rev. Dan Koeshall is the Senior Pastor at The Metropolitan Community Church (The Met) in San Diego, California, themetchurch.org

I know that it’s always risky for a pastor to talk about anything having to do with money, but that’s exactly what I want to do. Not because I have to, but because I want to.

Many churches and synagogues have annual stewardship drives and ask the question, “What are our needs as we look to the future?” “How do we continue to grow as a VIP church – vibrant, inclusive and progressive?”

Often, there are pledge cards to fill out. And I want to talk about those cards. In fact, I want to share with you how I believe you should fill them out.

I was talking recently with a friend of mine about a significant event in the life of Jesus.

You know, I guess one way in which our culture today is a lot like it was in the days of Jesus is that apparently “firsts” were pretty important to people back then. I don’t know about you but I know they have been to me. I can remember … the first day of school, my first bike, and my first crush.

So, even way back in New Testament times they were like us when it came to celebrating firsts. Jesus performed a lot of miracles during his three years of ministry. But John tells us that one – the wedding feast where he turned water into wine – was his very first miracle. So, what does this story say to us? What does it say to me? And, what can it possibly have to say about those little cards?

I think it has a lot to say to us.

Wedding feasts were very important in Jesus’ day. These feasts weren’t just a nice party – they were the social event for the entire community. And in John’s recount of this event, like any reality TV show, there’s a problem and the possibility of ensuing drama. The “wedding board of directors” has had a meeting. They’ve sharpened their pencils. They’ve done a head count. They know that for it to be a good wedding, it required the wine flow freely. In fact, it was so important, that the custom was that the best wine would be served first, then after everyone had one glass too many, the two buck chuck would be brought out, and at that point everyone would think that even that tasted fabulous! But the problem was there were more people than there was wine.

Now, I really do love our board of directors and our stewardship team. But I’m not quite willing to confer biblical status on them! But I do see a parallel here. Over the past several weeks they’ve been saying to us “This is how many guests we are expecting, and this is how much we need to feed them.” And they’ve also said to us, “Please let us know what we can expect you to do.” It makes sense. It’s called good planning. Whether you are planning a wedding or planning a church, it’s good to know what the needs are in order to have an idea of how those needs are going to be met.

Which brings me back to the pledge card? We would like you to fill it out so that we can have some idea that the wine won’t run out. That all of our ministry needs will be met.

So, maybe you’re wondering, “Well, how much should I give? How much should I bring?” In church language, we call it tithing. And this is where things get sticky. Some of us come from churches where we were beat, almost to death, over this issue. How much is biblical? What does “tithing” mean? Is it 10 percent? If so, is it 10 percent of my gross or net? What if I can’t afford it? What if I could give 20 or 30 or 40 percent and still be able to do just fine? If I give only 10 percent, is that enough?

Some of us were taught that tithing could be one percent or two percent or “what I can afford” etc. And some of us have never even thought of bringing anything to the feast! The list goes on and on. And that’s why pastors don’t like to talk about money!

Some of you might be thinking, “Umm, thanks Pastor Dan. That’s a big help! But I still don’t know how much I should give.”

I understand that question. And the good news is that I’m here to answer that for you.

Let’s go back to the wedding. The feast is in full swing. But there are more guests than there is wine. The wedding planners are all in a dither. And the planners pass their frustration on to the servers. And the servers pass their frustration on to the guests. And Mary, Jesus’ mother, is there at the feast. We don’t know what happened. The narrative doesn’t really tell us. But Jesus had not performed any miracles up to this point so there is no reason to believe that the servers went to Jesus’ mother thinking she could solve their problem. So, I wonder if maybe she didn’t just sense that something was not just right. (Mothers have that gift you know.) So, she says to one of the servers, “This is an awesome wedding feast. But you seem kinda bothered. Is everything OK?” And the server says, “Thanks for asking. And yes, there is a problem. The whole wedding is about to be ruined. The wine is running out.”

And this is what I want to leave you with. This is my answer to the “how much” question. I want to leave you with the words of Mary, Jesus’ mother, when she was asked, “What should we do?” Listen to her.

“Do whatever he tells you.”

Pray about it and do whatever is in your heart. The amount is between you and your God. There is no judgment. All we are asking is that you make it a matter of prayer.

“Gracious God, what do you want me to do?”

For some of us the answer will be so small that it may seem like nothing. It may be all you can do to buy a bus ticket to even attend the feast. If that is you, I want to say to you very clearly, “You are a vital, integral, essential part of this feast and there is no one here more important than you are.”

If the answer you hear is 2 percent I want to say to you, “You are a vital, integral, essential part of this feast and there is no one here more important than you are.”

If the answer you hear is 10 percent I want to say clearly to you, “You are a vital, integral, essential part of this feast and there is no one here more important than you are.”

If the answer you hear is 20 percent or 30 percent I want to say to you, “You are a vital, integral, essential part of this feast and there is no one here more important than you are.”

“Do whatever He tells you.” Mary the mother of Jesus is really providing the answer.

As each of us is obedient, as each of does whatever we feel the Spirit telling us to do, there will not only be enough to go around but there will be an abundance … and feasting … and celebration.

Rev. Dan Koeshall is the Senior Pastor at The Metropolitan Community Church (The Met) in San Diego, California, themetchurch.org

This week’s submission is from Rev. Houston Burnside Sr. who’s been a Baptist preacher and a college professor. He is also a friend of mine. I hope you enjoy his article. – Pastor Dan.

Jerry was blind – blind from birth. He was about my age. He, along with my new 18-year-old fiancé and I, went to the same church. The dynamic Pentecostal preacher loudly proclaimed that nothing was impossible with God. He really believed this. We believed this. We had heard testimonies of people being healed of serious illnesses as a result of prayer. The only thing that could hold us back from a real live miracle was our lack of faith.

One Sunday it was announced that a famous evangelist was coming to Los Angeles. He was an evangelist who specialized in divine healing. Excitement rose. Jerry was so excited he shook. Could this be the beginning of a new life for him? Trish and I took Jerry to this huge tent meeting in hopes of having Jerry prayed for. Our hopes were high. Jerry’s hopes were high. He couldn’t wipe the smile from his face.

We arrived early and found a parking place not far from the large tent. Once inside we found aisle seats about half way to the front. The music started. The person leading the service spoke in loud, up-beat tones. The evangelist wasn’t there. The music and the advance man whipped the congregation up to a high emotional pitch. He kept saying that the evangelist would be there any moment.

Finally the time came. The advance man said, “Look. Here he comes!” From stage-left, in bounded the evangelist in an expensive all-white suit, with coat tails flying. The audience roared as they rose to their feet. Hands clapped. Arms waived high in the air. Many were in tears.

The evangelist quickly took the microphone in hand and told the audience to be seated. He began his rapid-fire sermon filled with unbelievable promises of miracles of healing. The only thing that could prevent these miracles was our lack of faith – but with God, all things are possible.

Finally, it was time for people in the audience to form a “prayer line.” We, along with Jerry, were filled with emotion. This is Jerry’s chance. The ushers started to direct people into the line. We were ready to go. But we weren’t allowed. It became clear that only those who had attended an earlier orientation meeting would be admitted. Our hearts sank. But, wait – If all things are possible with God, maybe God could reach out into the audience and touch Jerry.

The evangelist laid hands on those who were ushered up onto the stage – one at a time. He would shout out that this person was healed! The audience roared as they lifted their hands in praise. One after another, people were being healed of the loss of taste and smell, difficulty in hearing, a sore back, a hidden tumor (not obvious to the viewer), an addiction of some sort, and many other ailments – none too obvious to the observer. But belief was strong; hope was high.

When the benediction was finally pronounced we made our way through the crowd to our car. Jerry’s head hung low. Disappointment set in, almost to the point of despair. Not much was said on our way home. Maybe it was God’s will that Jerry did not get healed, even though all things are possible to those who believe.

This event was a turning point in my faith journey. I began to question many of the bold theological statements I was hearing at church and at the Bible College I just started to attend. I still wanted to “believe.” But I also felt compelled to raise questions and do some thinking on my own. If God was the creator of all that is, and if God created us humans with brains, I concluded that God expected me to use mine.

In short, my journey took me from being a pew-sitter to becoming a Bible College student, then on to the pastoral ministry in Ohio and Pennsylvania, only to eventually return to the pew. All this included several detours, sharp turns, missteps, heartaches and joys. But the journey continued.

The motto of the church we were attending and the college in which we were enrolled was “Jesus Christ, the same, yesterday, today and forever” (Heb. 13:8). We were warned not to change one jot or title from the Bible (the King James version, of course). Their four points of emphasis were: Jesus Christ, Savior, Healer, Baptizer with the Holy Spirit, and Soon Coming King. To suggest that the creation story and/or the story of Noah and the ark were myths was blasphemy. Everything had to be taken literally – except, of course, passages which did not fully support their stated doctrines.

I gradually became hungry for more education. I went on to various colleges and universities until I eventually ended up with a Doctor of Philosophy degree. In the midst of all this I moved back into a pastoral ministry in two American Baptist Churches – first in Pomona and later in San Diego. This was a positive move for me – back to my Baptist roots.

Gradually my theological views broadened. I was active in ministerial associations wherever I went, and in local Council of Churches groups. I learned quickly to appreciate the views of other ministers – Presbyterians, Methodists, Episcopalians, United Church of Christ clergy, Roman Catholic priests, Assembly of God clergy, to mention just a few. As part of the Faith and Order Committee for the San Diego County Council of Churches I engaged in a group study of the Vatican Two documents.

My church, here in San Diego, was considered liberal by American Baptist standards. Some Baptists and other evangelical church groups are strongly opposed to the local and national Council of Churches. Those churches have a hard time accepting anyone into the fold who does not agree with their unique doctrines.

Pretty soon doctrines and dogma took on less and less meaning for me. I was no longer able to accept literal interpretations of Holy Scriptures. I thought meanings that could be gleaned from the Bible were deeper than literal interpretations would allow. The Bible is more dynamic, more alive than that.

It’s interesting to note that Jesus stood up to those who insisted that doctrine was more important than people. My view came to be that most of the hard, fast rules and doctrines were created by us human beings. Jesus simplified the commandments. Loving God and loving neighbor sums it up. In other words, to be a follower of Christ one does not have to adhere to sets of doctrines, theologies or beliefs. One has to love God and love one’s neighbor. From all else I read of Jesus, I think he meant “neighbor” writ-large. In one place he said his followers should even love their enemies.

When Houston Jr. was in the VA Hospital for nine months trying to adjust to a major life change, it was love and faith that brought him through – not doctrines, dogmas or theology. He almost didn’t make it. Dec. 6, 1977 a local Baptist pastor showed up after hearing about Houston’s operation. Houston was totally paralyzed. His mother and I were emotionally shattered, bewildered and heart-broken. We found it hard to grasp what was happening. The pastor talked to us and paid a short visit to Houston. He offered prayers. I can’t remember just what he said. His theology was much more conservative than mine. But that didn’t matter. He brought more than words. He came with the love of Christ. That’s what we felt. In preacher-talk this is called the “ministry of presence.” Words don’t count. Love and presence are what counts. That’s my kind of progressive theology.

Pastor Dan preached a powerful sermon that had to do with inclusion and a progressive approach to the walk of faith. He didn’t hit us over the head with dogmatic statements. What he said is the kind of thing that comes from the heart of Jesus. It’s not what doctrine you believe. It’s whom you follow that makes the difference.

Doctrine and faith are two separate things. Doctrine and dogma divides. Faith guides us through the dark valleys, and escorts us to the top of the mountains of life.

Progressive Christianity grows out of human needs. It’s related to real life situations. In my kind of progressive Christianity emotion often trumps reason and logic. Recognition of that divine spark deep within has to do with a sense of awe, a warm feeling of being loved and having the ability to express love. It opens one’s heart to all kinds of people. It’s inclusive. It’s forgiving. It’s compassionate. It’s generous. It makes us want to make a positive difference in our world. It carries a message of hope.

In my book, A Pew-Sitter’s Search for God, I sum up my own view of what I consider progressive Christianity by my personal Ten Commandments (writ small):

Love yourself and others

Show human compassion

Try to see and appreciate others in their wholeness for who they are

Recognize that hidden spark of divinity in yourself and in others

Strive to be inclusive

Accept social responsibilities

Work to develop your life’s fullest potential

Make intelligent choices which open up new opportunities for good

Build bridges of understanding – Forget drawing lines in the sand

Develop a sense of awe

Progressive faith recognizes that times change, cultures change, and people change over time. Progressive faith tries to relate to what is going on now and what may happen later. It’s OK to question. It’s OK to have doubts. It’s OK not to be absolutely sure about almost anything – except the power of love as Jesus expressed it. You don’t have to fully understand theology to be a child of God (although I am fascinated with theology and philosophy). You just have to follow, to seek, to love and allow yourself to be loved. You are special as you are. You are one of God’s kids. Other churches and other people may have rejected you because of who or what you are, but you are still one of God’s special kids. Thank God we can worship together here today, not out of fear, but out of love, gratitude and a sense of awe.

You are so blessed – and at The Met, we want to remind you how much God loves you! We are about building a VIP church – one that is “Vibrant, Inclusive and Progressive.” Today, I honor our deaf community – saying we are all important in the realm of God.

I love the greeting in the movie Avatar – “I see you.” And, that is what I want our spiritual community to be about – where we see, honor, help, share and love one another.

Truly, God has said we are to be a house of prayer for all people. Does that include those who are on the fringes of society? Yes! Does that include those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, straight? Yes! My house shall be a house of prayer for all people!

In thinking about being a vibrant church, I looked up the definition for the word vibrant, and one that jumped out at me was, “Vibrant – pulsating with life, vigor and activity.”

As you know, there are many opportunities for you to get involved in one or more of our ministry and outreach programs here. There are many ways you can become part of a smaller group within the larger church.

Being a vibrant church doesn’t happen when just a few of the same people are doing it all. It’s when we all are doing our part – sharing our gifts and talents. You’ll never know how blessed you could be by giving, getting more involved and getting to know others and giving them the privilege of getting to know you too.

Another definition of vibrant is “responsive and sensitive.” Being responsive to the needs present and being sensitive to others and that still small voice within us – calling us to maybe take a risk, to step out of our comfort zone – and say yes. Try it, you might like it!

I really like the synonyms for vibrant (wouldn’t it be great to be a part of a church that is) – “abuzz, astir, bustling, busy, buzzing, flourishing, happening, hopping, humming, lively, rousing, thriving and alive!” Together, we can make this happen! These things are already happening, but, let me tell you, they could happen even more with you!

Being an inclusive church, is one that is not just inwardly focused but a church that looks beyond its four walls. Knowing that we are called to make a difference in the world! That’s an audacious goal, but it is a worthy one! MCC’s around the world have already made such an impact on the Christian and other faith communities – that the world will never be the same as a result of Troy Perry’s gathering of 12 people in his living room in Los Angeles in 1968!

In the news a few weeks ago, you couldn’t help but see the headlines of the protests going on in the Muslim world as a result of a U.S.-made film which mocks Islam. Scores of people have been killed in several countries as a result of the riots.

Included in these deaths is American ambassador to Libya, J. Christopher Stevens and we offer our condolences and sincere, heartfelt prayers to all those who have been affected.

Throughout the world, it seems that religious difference and intolerance seems to be on the rise, even in our own country, as people of faith struggle to live in a more pluralistic world.

Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Hindu, spiritual, agnostic, atheist, pagan, new age – whatever title we assign ourselves, we are having to learn to share the cosmic space and to exercise the values of the faith and value systems that guide our respective religions.

To mock another’s religion, faith or experience is not a value of God. To use the name of religion to justify killing, harming or maiming does not represent the God that I have come to know and cherish in my life or practice of my faith.

In fact, the spiritual values of this community have taught me to not only accept diversity, but to celebrate it; and to give thanks for the many ways that God shows up in our world, through many faiths and many paths.

Yes, for me, I have found Jesus to be the path that I have chosen, but God is so much bigger than just my, or any other, one person’s experience.

In listening to your stories, I have come to know, first hand, the damage that is done when people of faith claim that their “God” is bigger and better than someone else’s.

As a community of faith that’s vibrant, inclusive and progressive, we too have experienced exclusion and someone else’s interpretation of God. We, too, have experienced mocking, judgments and some have been killed, harmed and maimed for daring to believe in a God of love and inclusion.

Such fundamentalism and “toxic” religion has caused many to turn from God and to believe that there is no such “person.” The God that we have been taught about has raised many questions and led some to behaviors that are destructive and damaging, not only to oneself, but to others.

God calls us to live in harmony and love with one another and to respect each other. This is being inclusive!

“Do unto others as you would have done unto you” is a Golden Rule that I learned at a young age and it is something that I have tried to live by.

As we reflect on the events of this week caused by religious intolerance and hatred of “other,” I pray that we find it within ourselves to reach out with “Namaste” and to bring the presence of God to ourselves, to our community and to our world.

My Rabbi friends always invite me into “Shalom,” to a deep peace that is offered if we choose to follow the ways of love, peace and joy.

With Jews, Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and many others we must learn to coexist and respect one another in order to find the truth of God that is beyond our understanding and comprehension … a God that is so great! One God – with many names! Praise God!

PS: You are invited to our Halloween annual Trunk-n-Treat in our church parking lot Saturday, Oct. 27, 5:30-7:30 p.m. Bring your kids – lots of candy, hotdogs and games! Free!

Rev. Dan Koeshall is the Senior Pastor at The Metropolitan Community Church (The Met) in San Diego, California, themetchurch.org

What a great time of the year to be reminded of all the blessings we have! God has given us so much.

If you stop and count your blessings, you’ll be amazed at how blessed you are compared to most of the world we live in today.

And it is out of the abundance of our blessings, that God asks us to give back. You have many options as to where you give your money; you have the choice of how much to give; and I want to thank you right now for the way you give to your church, your community and others.

Your giving to your community of faith helps it to be a light and share the good news of God’s inclusive love to all people. Your giving to the community helps very important organizations succeed and helps others less fortunate than ourselves. We give of ourselves and our resources in response to God’s goodness and generosity in our own lives. We take that which we value – our time, our attention, our love – and we commit each during the week with our faith community or charity; building an ever more lasting and profound relationship with God and one another. This commitment is a holy act.

Talk of money may cause discomfort to some; it may be jarring and disquieting. Money is associated with the material world objects, bills, things which bring us back to earth and away from our heart and spiritual longing.

But just as we bring our unique gifts to God, we present ourselves as an offering through our financial gifts. Financial offerings are not separate from our spiritual journey; they are a part of that journey.

Giving is a holy act. Our offering is a part of worship. It is an act of worship to God. Money is a material symbol connected not only to our efforts, but also to our talents and abilities, all of which are unique gifts from God.

Our primary reason for going to worship (wherever that may be), is to find greater connection to God and the Light within us. Our faith community is spiritual, but it also possesses a necessary financial component. And when we know how our financial gifts are being used to do God’s work, we are reinforced in our giving. Our financial gifts enable us to build and maintain ministries, programs and outreach in support of God’s work.

When we support our faith communities, we put them in a position to dream; to contemplate – and make real – the potential we all have to affect the community around us in extraordinary ways.

In progressive and inclusive faith communities we can stand in formal opposition to those misguided faith communities that are causing so many people in the LGBT community much suffering – even causing them to reject a God that loves them.

It is important to find spiritual healing within a congregation which accepts us the way God made us. Also, there is power when we stand together with a progressive, inclusive and dynamic community of faith – with the moral authority and institutional power to oppose bigotry by using the words of Jesus as He intended them to be used.

So, think about how much you give to your community of faith. Do you believe in their mission? Do you believe in their vision? Do you support their core values?

Each of us doing our part has a very personal role to play. With the loving participation of you doing your part – these communities of faith can continue to reach out and make a difference in the world – one person at a time.

PS: I invite you to our annual Blessing of the Animals Sunday, Oct. 14. See our Web site for more information.

Rev. Dan Koeshall is the Senior Pastor at The Metropolitan Community Church (The Met) in San Diego, California, themetchurch.org

Thank you for being lifesavers There’s a cartoon showing a crazed man being led away from a church in a straightjacket. On the steps of the church building the preacher comments to another, “I’m going to miss Harold – he volunteered for everything.”

As humorous as that cartoon is, there are many people who believe it’s funny because it depicts reality. They believe it’s possible for a person to volunteer for so many things within the church that it can literally “drive them crazy.”

But that’s not true, and I can prove it. If it were true that being “too involved” is what makes people “crazy” then every preacher in every pulpit of every congregation would need to be outfitted with straightjackets.

No. It’s been my experience that the “more involved” a person is in ministry or volunteering, the more satisfied and fulfilled that person is – not the other way around.

Yes, people get frustrated. Sometimes it’s because they are faced with difficult circumstances, or difficult people, or a shortage of resources. But even those frustrations can be overcome if people understand two things:

1. Who they are, and

2. Why they’re doing what they do.

Peter addresses that issue by telling us that God has given us a special status in God’s realm:

“… you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ … and you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of the One who called you …”

You and I are priests of God! A holy priesthood … a royal priesthood!

And because we are priests of God, we have a right to handle the holy things of God.

We have the privilege of coming before God in prayer. We have the right to touch and partake of communion. We have the right to pray for others. We have the responsibility of knowing and teaching and practicing the Good News of God’s inclusive love.

There are people, however, who have problems with this idea of priesthood. They think the pastor has to be the one who visits them in the hospital, the pastor has to be the one who consecrates and serves communion, the pastor has to be the one who teaches and preaches. Yes, I love to do all of these things, but it is just as valid for me or anyone else to perform these holy functions. This is the priesthood of all believers! You are just as qualified – if not even more effective. You can touch people I’ll never be able to!

Many times, pastors do too much around the church! In many smaller churches a lot of preachers end up doing “everything” and they enjoy it as well. And if you’re like me, sometimes, it’s just easier to do it yourself. After all, if you do it, you know it will be done the way you want it done.

But, if I did everything in the church, I’d be robbing the church. I’d be robbing others if I allowed myself to do everything. I wouldn’t be doing my job right.

Ephesians 4 tells me that my job, our staff’s job, our board of director’s job is to:

“Prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature …”

You see, when a person was a priest in the Old Testament – it meant they had a job to do. And not every priest had the “high profile” jobs of handling the sacrifices and burnt offerings before God.

In addition to the family of Aaron, there were three other families of Levites who had other jobs to do (Numbers 4):

1. The Kohathites – who took care of all the furniture in the tabernacle

2. The Gershonites – who cared for the coverings and the curtains

3. And lastly, the Merarites – who cared for the poles, the ropes, the bases and the cross bars

Now you might say, Dan, that’s all very interesting – but why are you telling me this? I’m telling you this because I want you to understand that every priest had a job to do. Every priest ministered unto God, and many of those priests had very basic jobs they did.

Read Ephesians 4 again. It says, if I, the staff and board of directors do our jobs right, we will “prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature…”

Part of growing up – part of becoming mature – is learning to take on responsibility.

When I was growing up, I had chores to do. Each of us three boys had our chores. We had daily chores and we had weekly chores. It was part of growing up and part of being a family. And I remember when mom would ask us to do something that wasn’t on our to do list – we’d whine and say, “That’s not my job!” Guess how far that went! Mom was teaching us to grow up!

I love it when your actions speak louder than words. When you say, “This is my church” … and when something needs to be done, you don’t complain about it – you do it.

As a church we’ll only attain our full strength when as many of us as possible realize we are all priests of God. When we realize that as God’s ministers, jobs need to be done – and we’re the ones to do them. And when we realize that we are called by God to work together “… so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature.”

It happened in a Vacation Bible School as a new little boy was brought into the room to join the others in a closing ceremony. The teacher, noticing that the little boy had only one hand, feared that the others might embarrass him by some of their remarks. But she went on with the ceremony because she would have only drawn attention to him if she tried to warn the children now.

“Now, let’s all build our churches,” she said as they came to the close of the service. “Put your hands together now, here is the church, here is the steeple . . .” And suddenly, she was aware that she had done just what she feared the children would do. After a moment of awkward silence, the little girl seated next to the boy with one hand held hers up and said, “Here, let’s build the church together.”

… and that’s how it’s done! Let’s continue to do that. Thank you! I appreciate you!

Rev. Dan Koeshall is the Senior Pastor at The Metropolitan Community Church (The Met) in San Diego, California, themetchurch.org

Tim Gibson

This week’s submission is from a congregant of MCC San Diego, Tim Gibson. His powerful insight in discovering God while walking in nature is refreshing and inspirational. Enjoy! Pastor Dan

“If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the things itself, but to your estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment.” – Marcus Aurelius.

Meditation has been practiced since ancient times as a part of numerous religious traditions and beliefs and there are dozens of individual styles of meditation that historically have an intimate bond with religion, or a spiritual belief. The word meditation may be difficult to define and has a broad sense of a type of discipline to get beyond the reflexive thinking mind into a deeper, more devout, or relaxed state.

In western culture meditation is sometimes thought of in two broad categories: concentrative meditation and mindfulness meditation. A practitioner of meditation may focus intensively on one particular object or on all mental events that enter into the field of awareness. Mindful meditation has been defined as a moment to moment non-judgmental awareness, with scientifically demonstrated benefits in the body’s ability to heal, to move away from depression and anxiety and toward happiness, relaxation and emotional balance.

Obviously, during walking meditation I have to be aware of things outside of myself, objects or people I might walk into or trip over while keeping my awareness on the experience of walking. For myself personally, and what I can tell you about is that walking meditation is a form of prayer that allows me to get in touch with, and deliberately reflect upon the revelations of God, as I understand God to be.

One thing I do know is that when I allow myself to connect, when I gave myself permission to “stop thinking and start feeling” I go to the place God tells me to go and I rediscover the power and compassion that is in the story of faith. Life is so much more than my eyes may be seeing and I do know that when I allow myself to feel the connection of Creation through walking meditation I become more centered, grounded and mindful.

Walking meditation is a place where I find peace of soul, a place of beauty, contentment and pastoral pleasure. It is where I go as often as I can and it is a place where I can review my soul and my body and allow myself to rest in grace. I touch base with all the wonders of nature away from the noise of life, away from the thinking to the feeling. When I practice walking mediation I am mindful of and give blessings to the sun upon my skin, I allow myself to completely feel a gentle or a brisk breeze to move the hairs on my arms and legs in mindful meditation. I bless the air that fills my lungs and the muscles that move my body and I give blessings to the sound my feet make as I move across the earth. I am thankful that I am alive and able to walk. I bless the water that hydrates my body and the journey it made to my lips. I bless and give thanks for the wonders that unfold around me and the reawakening of my faith in a Divine and Spiritual Creation as I walk in mindful meditation.

Walking mediation allows me to be healed and nourished, and is an enjoyable tool that awakens my spirit. I am reminded that there was an age in time when my body was not here, and sooner or later my body will be gone, but right now I am blooming and preparing my spirit to walk. I open myself up to feeling and I find myself face to face with breathtaking mystery, through walking meditation the world becomes a wonderland of revelations and my senses feel animated. I am related to everything and everyone, and there is a love of just being that is like coming home, and if I know nothing else, then that is all I do know.

Rev. Dan Koeshall is the Senior Pastor at The Metropolitan Community Church (The Met) in San Diego, California, themetchurch.org

Since the beginning of time, people all over the world have demonstrated an almost insatiable desire to know the future. Psychics rake in millions of dollars annually because people want to know what the future holds. Probably every major newspaper runs a daily horoscope for its readers. Have you ever kept a fortune from a fortune cookie?

People from all walks of life are fascinated by a desire to know what the future holds. Just look at the most popular books even in the religious community – what’s the subject? The End Times; The Second Coming; Prophecy; Left Behind Series!

Whatever your viewpoint is, James 4 is making the point that knowing the future is not nearly as important as being prepared for the future.

Most of us believe in God (whatever name you might use) yet, how many of us simply leave God out of our lives. At times we talk, plan and even implement those plans with a total disregard for the will of God.

I find it interesting that in much of the Latino culture there is this phrase: “Si Dios quiere.” “If it’s God’s will.” And the same is true for much of the Muslim culture – “If Allah wills.” In AA, the Step Three prayer ends with, “Not my will, but Thine be done.” When we say the Savior’s Prayer we recite the lines, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done …”

The test of what one believes is not found in what they say, but in how they live. Many people profess one thing, but live another.

Let’s look at what James has to say about dealing with the future and some common mistakes we make.

Mistake No.1 Planning without God.

“Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a town and spend a year there, doing business and making money.’”

What James is pointing out here is not an open defiance of God, but rather, a disregard for God. This is an attitude of self-sufficiency – of “I can do it my way without anyone’s help.”

James rebukes this ego-trip by saying, “Come now.” Today we would say, “Oh, come on now!” He’s talking to those who treat the future as something that they can not only predict, but have control over. It’s good to have a plan – to have goals – and also to bring God into the picture. Wisdom says, “Bring God into the mix for a better result.”

Mistake No.2 Presuming to know the future.

“Yet you do not even know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.”

The key word to understanding verse fourteen is the word, “know.” The Greek word conveys the idea of “knowing for sure or being absolutely certain.”

“What is your life?” With a question James leads us by answering it to a proper attitude toward life. Implicit in James’ answer: Life is a gift. And, life is an opportunity. The way we look at life makes all the difference in the world.

Mistake No. 3 Delay of what should be done today.

“Anyone, then, who knows the right thing to do and fails to do so, to that person it is sin.”

What are some examples of this?

When you know someone who needs a word of encouragement and you withhold it.

When you know you’re wrong about something yet you refuse to apologize for it.

What is James asking us to do? To acknowledge God’s will for our lives. What is God’s will for you?

Rev. Dan Koeshall is the Senior Pastor at The Metropolitan Community Church (The Met) in San Diego, California, themetchurch.org

I grew up in a theology where everything was black and white. There was a line that was drawn and if you crossed it, you were going to heaven or going to hell. There was a song I used to sing as a little boy in Sunday school – “One door and only one and yet its sides are two. I’m on the inside on which side are you?”

As I was growing up, there was a lot of emphasis on outward appearances. I’ll never forget being pulled aside on a Wednesday night youth group meeting and being scolded for wearing bib overalls to church! So many rules and regulations – and yet, through it all, my relationship with God through Jesus was (and still is) the most precious thing in my life.

In my faith journey, I have found that God is so big, and cannot be contained in a neat little box. And today, my approach to God is still through the life and teachings of Jesus. However, I recognize the sincerity and faithfulness of other people who have other names for the way to God’s realm – and I acknowledge that their ways are true for them, as my way is true for me.

Most Christians understand “grace” as it applies to salvation in that Jesus did something for them that they could never do for themselves. By his obedience and death on the cross, He paid our debt. Grace makes us spiritually alive so that we can enjoy an intimate relationship with God.

However, we tend to get a little fuzzy when it comes to grace as it applies in our daily life. According to James, what we need is “more grace.” God stands willing to give us all the grace that we need to meet the challenges of our lives. The problem is that we don’t look to God first, rather, we look to other places for the answers we need.

So we buy into what someone else says we need to look like – what someone else says we need to wear – what someone else says we need to drive. Where’s your inner voice? Where’s your inner power? Where’s your inner peace? Where’s God?

In verse six, James says, “But God gives more grace.” More trials … more grace! More struggles … more grace!

James reminds us that God gives grace to the humble, to those who admit their helplessness and look to God to meet their needs. Instead of continuing in a course of independence, instead of continuing to run into the brick wall, they begin to walk in dependence upon God for everything.

When I’m in a rough situation – or I talk with people who are just really going through the wringer – I am comforted by the thought that God has me exactly where I need and want to be: dependent upon God. Not in a co-dependent way that is weird and unhealthy – but in an authentic way that recognizes my unique gifts and abilities are God-given – and that by using my time, talent and treasure I can make the world around me a better place. Spreading joy, sharing love and moving in the direction of peace.

James gives a series of imperatives which make up an urgent call to return to God. These commands demand decisive action. They reflect the seriousness with which James views the problems that he sees within the church he was writing to. It is first and foremost, a call to a whole-hearted return to God.

One of the things I enjoy when meeting people who walk through our church doors is to hear their story. Their faith journey. What brought them here? I remind you, we exist because it is so important for people to find a place here at The Met where they can develop a relevant relationship with God, integrating spirituality with all of who they are and all of who they are becoming.

Most people who walk through these doors have been in other churches – churches who told them they were “less than.” Where there was exclusion practiced, where dogma and doctrine was more important than people. Where there was just one interpretation of the Bible and the Scriptures. So the church became irrelevant for them. Who’s to blame for this? Anyone?

Abraham Heschel said, “It is customary to blame secular science and anti-religious philosophy for the eclipse of religion on modern society. It would be more honest to blame religion for its own defeats. Religion declined not because it was refuted, but because it became irrelevant, dull, oppressive, insipid. When faith is completely replaced by creed … and love by habit; when the crisis of today is ignored because of the splendor of the past; when faith becomes an heirloom rather than a living fountain; when religion speaks only in the name of authority rather than with the voice of compassion, it’s message becomes meaningless.” No wonder people say, “I’m more spiritual than religious.”

As we grow in our relationship with God, and we struggle to make God relevant in our world today, listen to what Barbara Brown Taylor wrote.

“I know the Bible is a special kind of book, but I find it as seductive as any other. If I am not careful, I can begin to mistake the words on the page for the realties they describe. I can begin to love the dried ink marks on the page more than I love the encounters that gave rise to them. If I am not careful, I can decide that I am really much happier reading my Bible than I am entering into what God is doing in my own time and place, since shutting the book to go outside will involve the very great risk of taking part in stories that are still taking shape. Neither I nor anyone else knows how these stories will turn out, since at this point they involve more blood than ink. The whole purpose of the Bible, it seems to me, is to convince people to set the written word down in order to become living words in the world for God’s sake. For me, this willing conversion of paper and ink to flesh and blood is the full substance of faith. In practice, this means that my faith is far more relational than doctrinal … and that God is found in right relationships …”

Open up your life to receive God’s love, hope, strength and grace. v

Rev. Dan Koeshall is the Senior Pastor at The Metropolitan Community Church (The Met) in San Diego, California, themetchurch.org

I have a friend who told me how each night before he goes to sleep he puts a full glass of water next to his bed so that the first thing in the morning when he wakes up, he drinks the entire glass of water. This has multiple benefits – it’s good for the digestive system, immune system and the skin.

“Hydrate! Hydrate! Hydrate!”

In this article I’d like us to look at the Gospel of Mark. Mark is one of four Gospels that relate the life story of Jesus and the Good News of God’s love for all people. Now, having four different Gospels is like having four different stations to watch the Olympic highlights. They all cover the same events, but with different slants and emphases.

Well, if the Gospels were movies, Matthew and Luke would be epics like “Gone with the Wind”, “Lawrence of Arabia”, “Lord of the Rings Trilogy”, or “Dances with Wolves.” Long stories, long speeches and lots of character development.

John would be a love story – like “Dr. Zhivago,” “When Harry Met Sally”, “Titanic”, or “Brokeback Mountain”. A strong focus on love and its impact – no matter who you are.

But Mark would be “Transformers”, “Mission Impossible”, “Star Trek” or “Avatar” – action films! Not much on flowery speech, but long on action and adventure. A vivid, quick account that emphasizes what Jesus did more than what he said. The cutaways and scene changes are fast and furious, action scenes pile up one after another until you go “Wow!” and reel from the impact.

Like all good action films, my piece starts with a bang. As the opening credits roll off the screen, there’s an explosion. John the Baptist explodes on the scene. He’s explicitly connected with the OT promises. He’s the one!

The prophets said there would be a messenger, who’d be in the desert, and the message would be “Get ready for the Promised One.”

Here’s John, in the desert, he’s definitely a wilderness guy, as his clothes and food attest. And he calls people to repent – to return to God – a loving God who loves you just as you are.

So John “The Baptizer” is calling people to come out to the desert to be baptized with water as a symbol of accepting God. And they do! “Hydrate! Hydrate! Hydrate!”

But John points to something bigger – One much greater is coming. “This One will baptize you with a comforting Spirit.”

“Get ready!” “It’s a new day!” “It’s a new dawn!”

God is light, and this light brings life to us (like water brings life to the desert) and shows us our path … and shows us our way. All we have to do is stay connected to God.

So, there was a tremendous response to John’s message. Crowds gathered and people came from everywhere. No sooner had the dust settled from this explosion in the desert than something else big happens. Suddenly, we’re introduced to our main character: Jesus.

Jesus, our example, obeys John’s call to come to the desert to prepare for a great future. I just love that – a foreshadowing of that happens when we obey Jesus’ call in our lives – you’d better start preparing for a great future! But something amazing happens when Jesus gets baptized.

Literally, all heaven breaks loose!

Jesus is baptized, God speaks, and the Spirit descends.

Here’s Jesus, the Son of God, the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit, humbly placing himself in relationship with Abba God. Jesus, the one who leads us to a relationship with God is being our example.

What are you hydrating on this morning? Is it truly the words of Jesus about loving – even loving our enemies? And not judging. And even loving ourselves, the way God loves us?

What are you drinking in? Drink in God’s love – God’s inclusive love. Let the living water of God’s spirit refresh and renew you.

Hydrate! Hydrate! Hydrate!

Rev. Dan Koeshall is the Senior Pastor at The Metropolitan Community Church (The Met) in San Diego, California, themetchurch.org

Rev. Houston Burnside Jr.

This week’s article is written by Rev. Houston Burnside Jr. He writes a powerful message of life before and after an “operation gone bad” that left him in a wheelchair. Let his story encourage you – no matter what you may be facing in your life.

“Throughout our lives we confront circumstances that seem to keep us from being in the fullness of who we are. Over and over again, challenges and issues arise that preclude our full participation in the life that we’ve been given. Time and time again, we are left to ponder the “what ifs”, all too often finding comfort in those things which ultimately just eat away at our self-worth and drag us down to a place where we ought not to be. Today, I want to take you on a brief journey into my life and help you understand that you are so much more than your circumstances.

Life was great! I had served three years-two months in the Air Force and had been transferred to the reserves, after being given an early “education” discharge from active duty. I returned home to San Diego and enrolled in San Diego State University for my freshman year. The following summer, I returned to Shreveport, La. to attend LSU (Louisiana State University) Shreveport for my sophomore year, returning to San Diego the following summer to work and enter into my junior year at San Diego State.

November was cold and rainy. Scurrying from one class to another in that cold, wet environment, I developed a cold and a cough which developed into walking-pneumonia. By the time I went into the school health clinic, I had developed a collapsing lung. Heading up to the VA Medical Center in La Jolla, the doctors told me that I was going to need an operation in order to correct the recurrent “spontaneous pneumothorax” … a condition I developed while serving in the Air Force, that was now viewed as potentially life-threatening. My brother was scheduled to get married just after Thanksgiving and the doctors agreed that it would be OK for us to delay the procedure: A date was set, Dec. 8, 1977.

Checking into the hospital the night before, I sat with doctors, nurses, anesthetists and administrators, signing paper after paper, in preparation for the next day’s activities. The operation was to be a simple forty-five minute procedure, with moderate recovery time … a successful surgery that they had routinely done many times.

My parents knew that something had gone terribly wrong, when code began to be called over the hospital PA system. It took months to finally understand what had occurred: Anesthesia is a tricky thing and there had been a miscalculation that resulted in nerve damage and nerve death (in some regions of my body). Only able to move my eyes at first, eventually after nine months of rehabilitation, I was released and began to relive my life … this time as a quadriplegic.

It’s been thirty-five years since my life changed. I’ve gone through ups and downs, in coming to terms with what it means to truly live in the moment, with whatever circumstance we are given.

Life’s meaning, for me, comes from the faith that I hold in the people whom I love and the friends that I make along this wonderful journey. I find great solace in a vibrant sunset … in the newness of spring … in the midnight sounds of a world awake even as we sleep. I am so very grateful for our community and for the work that we’ve done together in building a strong foundation for future generations. And every day, I thank God for yet another opportunity to be in the moment … to live with no regrets … to forgive myself and others.

Choose life! You are so much more than your circumstances! Let you spirit soar and you will do things that you may have never thought possible!”

Rev. Dan Koeshall is the Senior Pastor at The Metropolitan Community Church (The Met) in San Diego, California, themetchurch.org

Today, we have at our disposal more knowledge than at any other time in history. More information has been produced in the last thirty years than in the previous five thousand years.

Our world has plenty of knowledge and education, but it doesn’t necessarily bring along much wisdom.

One might have a lot of knowledge but wisdom is more than knowing a lot of useless information. Knowledge is the accumulation of facts. But wisdom is insight with understanding about practical application. Wisdom is measured not by letters in front of your name, but by deeds accomplished.

James tells us that there are two kinds of wisdom. Wisdom that comes from God and wisdom that comes from the world. How can you tell the difference? By the fruit that is evidenced. By what comes out when you’re squeezed by stress and pressure.

Everyone knows how to be on their best behavior when the situation requires it. So behavior can be changed to fit a particular situation and not actually be a reflection of how we truly desire to live. The real question is how do we act when we are alone? God doesn’t want us to wear masks and act holy, God wants us to be holy. One of the definitions of holy is, “Having a divine quality.” And since we all are part of the divine, we have divine worth, so, doesn’t it make sense then that we treat ourselves that way, treat each other that way and act that way?

Second, wisdom is characterized by the desire to get along with others. “Peaceable. ”

If we are going to have peace, first, we have to experience “peace with God.” Having established peace with God we need to pursue peace with each other. If we’re going to experience peace, we’re going to have to pursue it. How? Intentionally avoid arguments – refuse to participate. It’s difficult to have an argument when one party refuses to argue. Make peace your goal. Wisdom is characterized by the desire to get along with others and, third, wisdom is living with tender consideration for others. “Gentle.”

It’s difficult to find an English word to translate this quality. Matthew Arnold called it “sweet reasonableness” and it’s the ability to extend to others the kindly consideration we would want to receive ourselves.

When we consider others, we are looking outward instead of inward. It’s hard to think of others when we are only thinking about ourselves. One of the most effective ways to give up selfishness is to focus on other people – on their needs and how we can help them. Wisdom is living with tender consideration for others and, fourth, wisdom is always teachable. “Willing to yield. ”

The way this word is used in this context has to do with our own openness and teachability. Do you have to always be right?

Wisdom is teachable and, fifth, wisdom is a life controlled by mercy. (v. 17) “Full of mercy and good fruits.”

James by his use of the word “fruit” reminds us that righteousness is not produced by us, but rather it is produced in us. Wisdom is a life controlled by mercy and, sixth, wisdom is characterized by sincerity. “Without (a trace of) partiality and without hypocrisy.”

It is honest; it never pretends to be what it is not; and it never acts to gain its own ends.

In the Hebrew Scriptures we are told the story of how God came to Solomon (the son of King David) and told him that he would give him anything he desired. He could have riches, power, and prestige; anything he wanted. Solomon’s request was the he be given wisdom.

Rev. Dan Koeshall is the Senior Pastor at The Metropolitan Community Church (The Met) in San Diego, California, themetchurch.org

I think the Apostle Paul would’ve liked the festivities here in San Diego as we celebrated LGBT Pride. After all, he understood the destructiveness of division and prejudice. He lived in a world whose fundamental structures were rooted in pairs of opposites: circumcision/uncircumcision; Jew/gentile; slave/free; male/female. And, he believed that the message of Jesus worked against that. Jesus’ message is a message of grace, forgiveness, justice and unity; a freedom that surpassed the old rigidities of the literal law.

Paul would have loved Pride weekend’s insistence that under grace there are no longer rules that separate people into haves and have-nots, righteous and sinner, blue states and red states, fundamentalists and progressives, Israeli and Palestinian, Sunni and Shiite, Pope and laity, gay and straight. They can, and must, co-exist.

Yes, Paul would have liked Pride weekend.

Paul was a Jew by birth, as was Jesus. Part of the Jewish culture was an emphasis on being set apart – many provisions of the law, including circumcision and the dietary laws, were primarily ways that the people demonstrated, through their actions and outward appearance, that they are not like others.

It must have been shocking for Paul to say that any difference between Jew and Christian was irrelevant! And it must also have been shocking when they realized that when he said there was no longer Jew or Greek, he didn’t mean that either one had to assimilate to the other one’s way of life. Gentiles didn’t have to become Jews, and Jews also didn’t have to give up their Jewish faith. God’s realm is wide and so inclusive!

Paul would have liked Pride weekend.

Jesus came with arms open to all. Our own Constitution wrote “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all people are created equal.” Abraham Lincoln took these words and thought it possible that we have a country where slavery is abolished. Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream, a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed. And Harvey Milk believed in every political voice. Paul would have aligned with each of these, because he understood the power of legalistic law to cripple and punish.

Do you know how Pride got started? Early in the morning of June 28, 1969, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer persons rioted following a police raid on the Stonewall Inn – a gay bar that was heavily patronized by people of color, including a high percentage of drag queens – located in the Greenwich Village section of New York City. On the one-year anniversary of the riots, the Gay Liberation Front organized a march in New York City in commemoration of the Stonewall riots. On the same weekend, gay activists on the West Coast, led by our MCC founder, Troy Perry, held a march in Los Angeles and one in San Francisco.

In New York and Atlanta the marches were called “Gay Liberation Marches,” in San Francisco and L.A. they became known as “Gay Freedom Marches.” Now they have become “LGBT Pride” parades and festivals – in San Diego, it’s the single largest civic event of the year.

A good working definition of pride is “proper, reasonable and justified self-respect.” A pride that is justifiable and reasonable, because it’s based on God’s widely inclusive love. Pride helps people feel they are not a tiny, powerless minority group. Through Pride, many find a sense of belonging, a sense of being worthwhile.

Paul would say, by taking pride in who we are in Christ, we can start the long process of overcoming self-hate. Standing side-by-side with God, rainbow people are an accepted, loved, connected and powerful force. I remember my first Pride parade in 1997 – where I would literally hide if I saw a camera! Such shame!

All of us need to be right-sized – proud of ourselves, forgiving and uncondemning of others. All of us deserve to have a sense of belonging, a sense of worth and acceptance. Paul says this is already true, if we understand God’s love and God’s grace.

Let me remind you, we don’t have Pride just one Sunday a year – we work year-round to help all of our friends and supporters be proud and happy. Lesbian, gay, bi, straight, questioning or transgender – we are all made in the image of the Divine Creator and we each have sacred value. Therefore, we ought to treat each other with that sacred value.

Rev. Dan Koeshall is the Senior Pastor at The Metropolitan Community Church (The Met) in San Diego, California, themetchurch.org

This week’s article is all about little things that have control over big things. Things that are small, yet powerful: A bit in a horse’s mouth; a spark that can burn down a forest; a rudder that can control a ship; and a tongue that can influence a person so much.

James, the apostle, talks about great power being in the tongue. The tongue, like the heart, is almost all muscle; unlike the repetitive cardiac contractions though, the tongue is capable of very precise, complicated and elaborate movements. It has many important responsibilities we probably take for granted. The tongue is necessary for all speech – no matter what language you speak.

I like the fact that James comes at this issue of taming the tongue from a number of different directions. He really spends time talking about the issue in different ways to help us wrap our mind around it.

James says that “with the tongue we praise God, the Creator of All, and with it we curse those who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth comes praise and cursing. My sisters and brothers, this should not be.”

These verses remind us that our relationship with God is intimately related to our relationships with those around us. We can’t pretend to love God and live in hatred toward others. I understand this truth. I believe it. And yet, I find it’s so hard to bridle my tongue.

I think all of us can think of something that we said to someone that we wish we had never said. Usually it’s anger or hurt that brings out these horrible comments. The sad truth is that you can never take them back. You can apologize. You can beg forgiveness. You can even be forgiven by the person you’ve hurt, but relationships are changed and broken down by hurtful words.

James has an important message for us here. Words do damage. The tongue is the most dangerous weapon we have. And we are called, we are implored, to control our tongues; to step back from the moment and stop ourselves from saying things that tear people down.

We worship in song every Sunday. Our tongues are filled with praise. Praising God is more than just an activity for us. It’s more than just something we do. It’s who we are created to be. And when we praise God, we are saying that we are that very thing that God has created us to be.

Let your speech be speech that praises, not one that curses. When you speak to those around you are you speaking with love or out of hatred?

We gain power when we learn to tame our tongue. We end up with a bit more control in our lives. Our relationships with those around us are improved when they no longer have to get past painful and hurtful things that we’ve said to them. And best of all, we are better able to focus on praising God, a loving God, a compassionate God, a forgiving God.

Rev. Dan Koeshall is the Senior Pastor at The Metropolitan Community Church (The Met) in San Diego, California, themetchurch.org

A few years ago, James Patterson and Peter Kim surveyed America and tabulated the results. The results were given in their book called The Day America Told the Truth. In the chapter dealing with America’s religious beliefs, they shared that 90 percent of the people questioned said that they truly believed in God. Yet, they also discovered, that of those who said they believed in God – 50 percent had not been to church in at least three months and one out of three had not been to a service in a year.

What does that say? Could it be that church is somewhat irrelevant … out of touch … just going through the motions? What does the role of church play in our lives? As far as I’m concerned, I don’t want to play church – or just go through the motions. I want you to experience an authentic faith here. Real people – seeking real relationships – with God and one another.

James, the brother of Jesus asks a poignant question, “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works?”

Someone has said that faith is like calories, you can’t see them, but you can see their results. Real faith can be seen.

For example, our Feed My Sheep ministry started out by seeing a man living across the street behind an electrical panel. He would walk around the streets and there was a desire to reach out to him – knowing he wasn’t alone, sack lunches were made and given out. Through the work of a beautiful congregant here, he is now off the streets! We still hand out sack lunches to dozens of people on a weekly basis. Thanks to your donations, you’re making a difference, one life at a time. That is faith – in action. Faith with works to back it up.

Let’s look at some of the foundations of faith that James is sharing with us.

Faith is more than just an intellectual concept. Some depend on the fact that they have intellectually accepted the facts of the existence of God (Higher Power, Spirit, or whatever you might call the Creator of All). It’s interesting to consider that the Bible never tries to prove the existence of God. It simply says that the one who denies the existence of God is not in their right mind. The psalmist said, “The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.”

When I meet people who claim to be atheists, I am intrigued. I genuinely want to understand their belief system – I often say to them, “I consider myself a person of faith, but I have much to learn from you about faith. You must have very strong faith!”

The question that James wants to answer is not whether works without faith can make a difference, but whether a dead faith, one which produces no transformation, can change us and the world around us.

What about the person who claims to believe the Good News of God’s inclusive love but whose practice doesn’t matche his or her claims? We have all experienced the concept of “love the sinner, but hate the sin.” I call that spiritual abuse. Love the person – and let God be the judge. Show your faith with your works. Let your actions match your lip service. Faith without works – as James says – is dead.

Faith is more than intellectual and it is more than just an emotional experience.

I grew up in a Pentecostal Church. And emotions were a big part of our faith and experience in God. If there weren’t high emotions, we would ask where is God. It is almost as if, there had to be an emotional high for us to experience the Spirit of God.

Faith is not dependant on emotions or an emotional experience. In the silence of meditation, God can be revealed. “Be still and know that I am God.” And at the same time, there is nothing wrong with exuberant praise and a little bit of shouting in excitement over God’s love for us!

Faith is more than an intellectual experience, it’s more than an emotional experience – it produces change.

In Romans 10:17 the apostle Paul says, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Faith involves the whole person: intellect, emotion and will. It’s not just an intellectual agreement with the facts nor is it merely an emotional response, but it also involves our will.

Because it involves our will, real faith always leads to action. For faith to be real there must be a response.

James illustrates this principle by the use of two well-known biblical persons, Abraham and Rahab. You could not have found two more different persons. Abraham was a Jew, Rahab was a Gentile. Abraham was portrayed as a godly man, Rahab as a sinful woman – a prostitute. What did they have in common? Both exercised life-changing faith in God.

I remember a Father’s Day sermon by Rev. Houston Burnside Sr. last year where he talked about Abraham, and what he did to show his faith – offering his son Isaac upon the altar – and then God miraculously stopping him in mid-action, providing another sacrifice. Now, if this were to happen today, we would call the Child Protective Services on him – and as Houston said in his sermon, his son would have to have years of therapy to get over that one!

Abraham’s faith is seen and he was called a friend of God.

Rahab was a resident of the city of Jericho. Her story is told in Joshua chapters two and six. When Joshua sent two spies into the city to get the lay of the land, there they meet Rahab who protected them and in so doing confirmed that she believed in what God said and what God was doing. Rahab heard the word and believed. Rahab responded with her mind and her emotions and also with her will, she did something about it. She risked her life to protect the spies from Israel. Her mind recognized the truth, her heart was stirred by the truth and her will acted upon that truth. She proved her faith by her works.

In the case of both Abraham and Rahab their faith was not just lip service. Their faith was alive – it wasn’t dead.

Our teen group wanted to make a difference – reach out and give money to the Ronald McDonald House – so they had a car wash. A man who came in from the neighborhood said how impressed he was to see teens doing something so positive. He said, “Action is character. And these kids are showing their character.”

Faith in action … not just lip service. I like that.

Rev. Dan Koeshall is the senior pastor at The Metropolitan Community Church (The Met) in San Diego, California, themetchurch.org

Let me ask you a question, “Have you been hurt by the church? Do you feel disillusioned? Do you discriminate?” That’s a strong word – and you may have experienced discrimination. Before you answer that question too quickly ask yourself, “Who, outside of your present circle of friends, have you attempted to include in your life recently?”

Almost all of us walk around with an unpublished list in our minds; a list of desirable and undesirable people. Some prefer to be around the educated, and look down at those who are not academic enough. Some would rather spend time with younger people, and don’t have time for the more mature. Some have race or ethnic groups that they would rather not associate with, or not hang around with the ones they think are too pretty – or not pretty enough. Most of us however, want to be around people just like us, or who we want to be. Let me ask you, does living like that make your life small?

We often forget to view ourselves the way God views us – like looking into the mirror, and forgetting who we are when we walk away. Like our wonderful Pride T-shirts say, we are wonderful, strong, amazing, unique and fabulous! That is the way to look at other people – all people.

The church, in general, is all too good at excluding people! Giving a workshop at the Gay Men’s Spiritual Retreat at Camp Stevens in Julian, I looked around and saw beautiful people, who had been excluded, and disillusioned by the church. Have you experienced that? Being excluded because of your thinking, your finances, your values or even who you love! James, writing to the first century church knew this was something that needed to be addressed – and he does so.

James addresses the readers as “my brothers and sisters,” reminding us that what he is about to discuss is a family concern. Whenever he uses that term, he’s ready to point out something that needs to be brought to light. Here’s the question: “My brothers and sisters, do you with your acts of favoritism really believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ?”

The issue is “partiality.” The literal meaning of this word is “to receive one’s face.” “Partiality,” or as it is translated in one version, “favoritism” is mentioned several times in the New Testament. But in every other case the subject of the verse is God. “God does not show partiality.” “God does not judge by externals, God judges the heart.”

There are a number of ways in which favoritism shows up in the church today.

We can favor people based on their gifts and abilities. Here’s another question: Who is the most important, the preacher or the sound person? The board member or the Sunday school teacher? The one who mows the lawn or the one who makes the coffee? The nursery worker or the usher? The truth is that none is better than the other – they are all important – just sharing different gifts.

We can also show favoritism on the basis of personality, or looks or economic standing. But none of that has any place in the church. Does it take place? Yes – and it is something we need to be reminded of and change where it needs to be changed.

What James is telling us here is not to profess a faith and at the same time be a spiritual snob. Don’t join some little clique. Don’t be a part of gossip. Every person in the church is a part of the body of Christ.

James says (2: 2-4), “For if a person with gold rings and in fine clothes comes in the front door, and if a person in not-so-nice clothes also comes in, and if you take notice of the one wearing the fine clothes and say, “Have a seat here, please,” while to the one who is poor you say, “Stand there,” or “Sit at my feet,” have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?”

The first guest identified as “one with gold rings” is literally “gold fingered” or having many gold rings. We like to call that “bling!” And bling is attractive, flashy and fun! The second guest is identified as one “who has the appearance of someone who didn’t have the good fortune of sleeping in a nice bed in a comfortable home the night before.”

Although it’s hard to see in the English translations, the “you” in verse three is plural. This use of the plural suggests that what was happening here was a general attitude of the whole group. Now, there’s nothing wrong with extending a warm welcome to the rich visitor. The sin, which James is talking about, is in treating the poor visitor differently. There’s a distinction in the way the two visitors are received (discrimination), the rich man is received cordially and the poor man is received carelessly – if not crudely. We can expand this to our trans sisters and brothers – where at a Transgender Forum on spirituality recently, we discussed how some transgender people are more “passable” than others – are we not to see all in the same light – as beautiful children of God?

A modern version of this story actually did happen one Sunday in the Bel Aire Presbyterian Church. When in attendance, then Gov. Ronald Reagan and Nancy, usually sat in the same seats just off the center about two-thirds of the way into the sanctuary. On this particular morning the governor and his wife were late and by the time they got there, two college students had occupied those seats. An usher came down the aisle and asked the students if they would take different seats off to the side. They moved, and Ron and Nancy Reagan were brought in and seated. To his credit the pastor got up from his place on the platform, walked down and over to the college students and said, “As long as I am pastor of this church, that will never happen again.”

James boils it all down when he quotes the second part of the Great Commandment, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Don’t judge – love. Don’t hold on to something – let go and forgive.

Most of us have come from a church experience where we have been hurt or disillusioned – well, let me tell you, no church is perfect! What we’re trying to be here is authentic and grow in our relationship with God together. And, I thank God that you are here! Here you can take off your mask! Last week, I talked with Deb, a beautiful transgender woman visiting our church and said, “I’m so glad you are here. This is a safe place for you. You can take off your mask here.” She replied, with a twinkle in her eye, “I’m here because I know its safe … and for me, to take my mask off, I have to put one on.” Fabulous.

James has clearly shown that it is not a good thing to show favoritism. So here’s what I want you to do. I want you to think about who you are closest to. Where are the people you hang out with? Now think, “How long has it been since you reached out to include someone new in your circle?”

I have read several books on what it takes to build a successful growing church. Good leadership can help. Good preaching is always a plus. A good music program can be an asset. But in the end, relationships drive successful growing churches. Churches that are open, welcoming and caring grow.

I challenge you to open your heart to how God may be asking you to expand your circle of friends – maybe get out of your comfort zone and introduce yourself to some new people. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how many wonderful people you’ll meet – just like you. Love yourself – love God, and love your neighbor as you love yourself.

Every hospital has one hallway that seems seven miles long. I’ve been to many hospitals and even though hospitals don’t all look alike, they all look like hospitals – and every one of them has one corridor that seems like its seven miles long.

It doesn’t matter how long the hallway actually is. It doesn’t matter if it’s daylight, in the midst of the hustle and bustle of patients, family and staff, or in the middle of the night when it’s eerily quiet.

There is a story in the book of Acts that talks about a road (see Luke 24:13-35). The road from Emmaus to Jerusalem is seven miles long. Cleopas and his companion are walking that long road, walking in shock and bewilderment. Trying to make sense of it all. They’re talking of the past few days, of loss and hope and mystery and confusion.

Disappointment, doubt, disillusionment, defeat, discouragement, despair and death – all of these words sum up how Cleopas and his companion were feeling as they trudged up the road toward Emmaus. They had just left the downhearted and confused band of disciples who were afraid and bewildered over what had happened to Jesus on Good Friday.

The One they had loved and followed had been horribly put to death, a cruel and degrading death on a cross. Jesus had been made a public spectacle, exposed to the jeers of all who passed by. Only a week before, their hopes had risen to fever pitch when the excited crowds welcomed their Teacher waving palm branches and shouting “Hosanna.”

But now Jesus was dead. Their hopes were dashed, the dream was over! Even the report of the women that Jesus’ tomb was empty didn’t raise their spirits; it only confused them even more.

Human hope is a powerful thing, yet, a fragile thing, and when it withers, it’s difficult to revive. “We had hoped …” Cleopas and his friend had said. They were saying, “We don’t expect it now, but once we did. We had high hopes for the future, but now those hopes are gone and all we have left is disappointment.”

As the two walked along, they realize they are not alone. The stranger asked them what they were discussing. And, so they poured out their story to someone who seemed willing to listen. They tell the stranger all about their hopes and their disappointments. He simply provided a listening ear.

We know that the stranger was Jesus, but they didn’t. It’s a wonderful image, Jesus walking along the road with his despondent and confused disciples sharing their troubles.

The two disciples asked the stranger to stay with them for the night, and Jesus stayed with them. At the evening meal he, “took the bread, and gave thanks for it; then he broke the bread and gave it to them.” Suddenly, it dawned on them who the stranger was. Their eyes were opened, and they recognized him.

The road to Emmaus is a story about ordinary despair, and ordinary, Monday-morning drudgery. It’s a story about meeting a stranger, hearing his words of comfort, sitting down at a table and sharing a meal. It enables us to see that the risen Christ gives hope and joy, when all we see is disappointment, discouragement and despair. It enables us to see the world around us through eyes of faith and victory.

When our Emmaus road is filled with discouragement and despair, let’s walk it with Jesus. Walking with Jesus, our road will become a great highway of companionship, conversation, belief, new life and hope.

Rev. Dan Koeshall is the Senior Pastor at The Metropolitan Community Church (The Met) in San Diego, California, themetchurch.org

From an ad in the Advocate magazine, submitted by a defrocked Pentecostal preacher, who was kicked out of his church for being gay, came a gathering of 12 people in a living room in Los Angeles, which birthed the first Metropolitan Community Church; becoming a global denomination in excess of 200 churches in more than 30 countries. That was 1968. In 1970, MCC San Diego was born; now celebrating 42 years of God’s Spirit bringing healing and restoration to countless thousands of people who have come into the doors of this church.

Yet, throughout the years, there have been people, organizations and even churches who wanted to stop this movement of God’s powerful, all-inclusive love; to deny the LGBT community coming to the table, completely as they are; as children of God, created in God’s image. God doesn’t make mistakes.

Let’s look at the life of Simon Peter, the “rock” on whom the church is built. Peter is a captivating figure in the Christian story. Jesus plucks him out of a fishing boat to become a disciple; and time and again he represents all of us in learning and stumbling and growing at Jesus’ feet.

During their time together, Peter is often naïve and clueless – but he’s a follower, constantly learning.

After Jesus is crucified, though, a different Peter emerges; one who is forceful and bold. This is the Peter we see in the book of Acts, after the Holy Spirit had been poured out on everyone in the upper room. Peter was engaged in several heated debates over whether or not gentiles (you know, those people) should be baptized … or even could be. Peter was harshly criticized for even eating a meal with those who were uncircumcised; that is, those who did not follow the commands of the Old Testament.

Yet, Peter is strong in confronting those who would deny the sacrament of baptism to the gentiles, and argues for an acceptance of believers who don’t follow the circumcision rules of Leviticus (which is also where we find a condemnation of homosexuality).

His challenge is direct: Before ordering that the gentiles be baptized Peter asks, “Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?”

None of us, Peter says, has the moral authority to deny baptism to those who seek it, even if they don’t follow the ancient laws.

So, whose place is it to sort out who should be denied a bond with God and the Holy Spirit of the kind that we find through baptism, communion and marriage? Not ours. The water will flow where it will.

The water is for all of us. We see the same thing at the Last Supper, as Jesus gives the bread and wine to all who are there – even to Peter, who Jesus said would deny him, and to Judas, who would betray him.

Peter and Jesus show God’s inclusive form of love. They hold out the symbols of Gods’ love to all.

I like the metaphor of a river being God’s faithful working; working in our world and in our individual lives. As a river cannot be stopped, so God’s faithful working cannot be stopped.

A river keeps on flowing. You can try to dam it up, but it doesn’t stop the flow. Throughout the history of MCC San Diego the river kept flowing.

Know that today, that water of God’s loving, healing spirit is flowing in our church and in your life. You may wonder at times, but know this, you cannot stop the gentle flow of God’s all-inclusive love and grace. The redeeming power of that unstoppable river, and of the Holy Spirit, is relentless, making us all into something better and new.

Happy 42nd anniversary MCC San Diego!

Rev. Dan Koeshall is the Senior Pastor at The Metropolitan Community Church (The Met) in San Diego, California, themetchurch.org.

The article this week is from a sermon preached by a congregant who wishes to remain anonymous.

James Cone teaches at Yale and recently published a book, The Cross and the Lynching Tree. It is a disturbing book. Cone tells the story of how, over a 60-year period (1880-1940), more than 5,000 African American persons were lynched (hung), usually from a tree. Crowds gathered to watch. These lynchings did not take place in some third world country but here in the United States.

Cone tells how meaningful the story of Jesus’ dying on the cross became to the African American community during this period. He speaks of the comfort which the cross brought to those living in the ever-present fear of lynching.

After speaking of the comfort brought by the cross, Cone says this, “… (B)ut it did not remove their need to wrestle with God about the deeply felt contradictions that (lynching) created for faith.”

Like so many of us in the LGBT community, I was raised in a strong faith community (Christian). But I wrestle with the contradictions found in issues of faith. Contradictions between how I think God should work and the realities of how God seems to work in life’s everyday events.

I was taught that “prayer changes things.” That is, for people who “live right.” That meant reading my Bible, not cussing, attending church, obeying my parents, etc. If I did all the right things God would hear and answer my prayers. When they weren’t answered, then it must be that there was something I should be doing which I wasn’t, or something I wasn’t doing, which I should be.

Slowly, I am coming to understand that seeing God working in this way is immature and childish. In Cone’s words there remains a “wrestling with God” – a wrestling “about the deeply held contradictions” – contradictions which illness, lack of employment, loneliness, depression, misunderstandings, etc create for faith. How can an all-powerful and all-loving God allow these things to happen?

There is an incident in Matthew’s gospel which helps me. In Matthew (11:1-11) John the Baptist is in prison. King Herod has placed him there. Jesus himself says of John, “There is no one greater than John the Baptist” (verse 11). And yet here is John in prison, facing execution.

One day a group of John’s friends visit him. They come with “good news.” Nearby, Jesus is performing miracles – lots of miracles.

A great wrestling takes place deep inside John’s inner self. A contradiction. A questioning. He listens to the reports – the “good news” – of how many are receiving their miracle. And yet, here he is in prison facing an executioner’s death.

I do not like this story’s ending. John was beheaded. Faith should not work that way. People should not face lynching. People should not struggle without work. And when we do there is a wrestling – a “need to wrestle with God about the deeply felt contradictions” of faith.

Slowly, I am coming to see the futility of this wrestling. But then, how to be a person of authentic faith?

The psalmist gives us a clue. Here is how the psalmist puts it, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, You are with me.” (Psalm 23:4)

I hear the psalmist inviting a move from “Why not me” to a recognition that “You (God) are with me.” When understanding is impossible, still “You are with me.” This I believe and in this I can rest.

Rev. Dan Koeshall is the Senior Pastor at The Metropolitan Community Church (The Met) in San Diego, California, themetchurch.org.

“I’m not religious, I’m spiritual …” is a common phrase we’ve all heard. I like it myself. To me, when I think of being religious, I think of rules and regulations, do’s and don’ts, and being all stuffy and uppity. Who needs it? I also like the phrase, “Some people are so heavenly minded, they’re no earthly good!” Do you know anyone like that?

In the book of James, we read that we are to be doers of the word, and not just hearers.

James also says, “If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues, but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Creator, is this: To care for orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world.”

The admonition here is to bridle our tongues against anything that is not uplifting, building up, encouraging … the power of our words.

The final step in this process that James gives us is that we allow ourselves to be moved to act on the word. He’s talking here of putting the word to practical use. You see, we not only respond to the word by acknowledging a need to do it, but by finding practical ways to actually do it.

First, guard your tongue. That’s right! James tells us that our “religion is worthless” unless our “tongue” is kept on a “tight rein.”

Second, give to others. He says that practical religion is “to look after orphans and widows in their trouble.” In other words, living out the word in a practical way will mean that we care about others. Reaching out beyond our own interests – and even our own desires. Historically, it has been churches who have set up hospitals, orphanages, homes for the elderly and many other social institutions designed to care for the needs of others.

People matter to God. And people should matter to us as well. One of the ways that we act on the word is to have compassion for people and do something to help them. It doesn’t have to be huge. You might not be able to support them for life. But don’t focus on what you can’t do. Instead, focus on what you can do. You might not be able to do everything, but you can do something. And people will see your good works and glorify our Creator in heaven.

Third, guard your life. James tells us that a mark of true spirituality is “to keep oneself unstained” by the world.” In other words, don’t let other people influence you in a negative way, keep your life clean. Guard it. Be careful. Watch what you say. Watch your responses. Pay attention to your attitude. Don’t let anything keep your light from burning bright – and hinder you from sharing the love of God with others.

Let me ask you some questions. What lessons from this can you put into practice? What has God said to you? What are you willing to do about it? Has God said that you need to be quick to listen, slow to speak, to calm down? Is there anger in your life? Will you make a commitment today to give it to God?

Make a commitment that you will keep. As you think about what God is saying to you, ask yourself this question. What can I do? How can I apply what I know? Then – just do it! You are loved.

I invite you to enjoy an evening of music from the MLK Community Choir – Sunday, June 3, 6 p.m. at 2633 Denver Street.

Rev. Dan Koeshall is the Senior Pastor at The Metropolitan Community Church (The Met) in San Diego, California, themetchurch.org.

What do you do at least once a day? At least once a day, we stand in front of a mirror and check out the way we look. If an adjustment is necessary, and it usually is, then we straighten our clothes or comb our hair – all because the mirror has helped us by revealing things about how we really look. “Mirror, mirror on the wall …” Do you know that when God looks at you – God says, “You’re fabulous.”

James 1:19-21 says, “Understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; for your anger does not produce God’s righteousness. Therefore, rid yourselves of all sordidness and wickedness and welcome with meekness the implanted word that has the power to save your souls.”

To adequately prepare our hearts, James gives us four guidelines. These behaviors will enable us to accept the word and receive the full benefit also.

1. Capacity to listen – Be quick to hear the Word of truth. “… swift or quick to hear …” refers to an alert ear. But James isn’t just talking about physically hearing the words as they impact our ears, but listening for what God has to say.

“Quick to hear” describes an attentive heart, listening for what God has to say. That is often true when it comes to what God is trying to communicate to us. How many times has there been needless misunderstanding, resulting in hurt feelings, just because someone didn’t listen. You can physically hear words and yet not really hear them.

2. A controlled tongue – “slow to speak.” One of the things that keep us from hearing is that our mouth is already moving – we need to be slow to speak. You can’t be an effective listener if you are doing all the talking. When God was giving out body parts, God gave us two ears and one mouth – that ought to say something to us – if we can hear it.

We’re not quick to hear when it comes to receiving what others are trying to tell us. Sometimes – we are like that with God.

3. A calm demeanor – The third thing we need to do is “cultivate a calm spirit.” We need to be “slow to anger.” James not only tells us that we need to be slow to anger, but that “anger does not produce God’s righteousness”. So we need to calm down.

You can’t communicate with an angry person. If you don’t calm your spirit down and let God speak a word to you, even when that word is uncomfortable, you will never hear.

Cultivate a calm spirit. When we are angry, we are closed. We’re not listening to reason. We’re looking to get even and sometimes to get ahead. We feel resentment, or bitterness, and sometimes even hatred. These are barriers to communication. God cannot speak to you when you hold these attitudes in your heart.

4. A righteous life – that’s another thing we need to work on. Just like we clean our bodies and wash our clothes, James tells us to “rid ourselves of all sordidness and wickedness.” What we are to lay down is anything that causes us to put up a wall between ourselves and God – remember, nothing can separate you from the love of God. We are the ones who put up the barrier.

Mirror, mirror, on the wall … Mirrors show us what we really look like. When you look into the mirror, you see the brutal truth. Now, sometimes I don’t want to acknowledge that truth. Let God’s Word, God’s promises, God’s all-inclusive love show you the truth about yourself. You are worthy. You are lovable. You are gifted. You are a child of God.

Don’t look into the mirror, walk away and forget about yourself … your true self. Don’t forget how God views you – and how we are always in formation, in process, to become all that God has to offer us.

Develop a capacity to listen, to hear. Develop a controlled tongue and a calm demeanor to receive the Truth of God’s love and promises for you. Finally, develop a life that is full of God’s light, God’s love, and God’s grace.

I celebrate who you are today. I bless you.

I invite you to attend the MLK community choir in our church Sunday, June 3, 6:30 p.m. Free admission.

Rev. Dan Koeshall is the Senior Pastor at The Metropolitan Community Church (The Met) in San Diego, California, themetchurch.org.

Do you struggle with temptation? I heard someone saying, “I don’t struggle with temptation, I just give in to it!” Oh my!

There isn’t a day that goes by that we aren’t tempted in some way. Temptation comes in many forms; we’re tempted not to tell the truth; to take something that doesn’t belong to us; to take advantage of someone; to gossip; to overeat; to hold a grudge; to take something the wrong way; or even to withhold our time, talent and treasure from God.

The Discipleship Journal magazine asked its readers to rank the areas of greatest spiritual challenge to them. The top five were:

1. Materialism

2. Pride

3. Self-centeredness

4. Laziness

5. Anger/bitterness

The respondents also noted that temptations were stronger when they had neglected spending time with God (81 percent) and when they were physically tired (57 percent).

The truth is that temptation is everywhere. What’s yours? How do you deal with temptation?

First, don’t be surprised by it.

If we are going to successfully deal with temptation, we must expect it. James says, “When tempted …” He didn’t say, “If tempted.” We should never be surprised when we are tempted.

Temptation is universal. Everyone is tempted. If you meet someone who is never tempted by anything, there is one conclusion that you can draw about that person. They’re dead! As long as you’re breathing, there will be temptations.

Temptation is inevitable. If you’re not being tempted right now, just hold on because it’s coming. Temptation is not something that you get past. There is no “free pass” to skip temptation. It’s inevitable.

Temptation is personal. We all have our personal temptations. We are all vulnerable in different ways. Temptation is a personal thing. Some things that don’t tempt you – tempt me. And some things that don’t tempt me – may tempt you.

There’s no doubt that temptations will come to all of us. So we need to be ready. Don’t be surprised by it.

Second, don’t be confused by it.

The next step in handling temptation is to understand where temptation comes from. Some would argue that it’s God’s fault. That was Adam’s logic. Notice that when confronted by God for eating the apple, first he blamed Eve “The woman” but indirectly he blamed God, “The woman who you gave me.” We still play the same old blame game.

Temptation begins with desire. Our desires are extremely powerful. Now, not all desires are wrong. Many desires keep us alive and cause us to be healthy, well adjusted human beings.

Remember, nothing can separate us from God’s love – but there are times we don’t accept it – we actually run from it. When we do that, we miss out on so much joy and love and peace in our lives.

To deal with temptation don’t be confused by it, understand it and … third, don’t be deceived by it.

God’s light brings power, understanding and wisdom in dealing with the temptations that come into our lives. Everything we need is given to us through the Christ within us.

God also will always make a way of escape. Sometimes that way of escape is to simply run. If we find ourselves in a place of temptation we might simply need to get out of there. That may be our way of escape. Or, God may give us the strength to bear up under the temptation. In any event, God will make a way.

So, don’t be surprised by temptation. Expect it. It comes to everyone. It will come to you. It’s inevitable. Don’t be deceived by temptation. Stand up to it.

Rev. Dan Koeshall is the Senior Pastor at The Metropolitan Community Church (The Met) in San Diego, California, themetchurch.org.

In dealing with difficulties and trials in life, it helps to know you’re not alone. Difficulties come into everyone’s life.

“My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.”

There’s that word when – not if. Whenever you face trials, remember, you’re not alone.

Second, our attitude helps determine our outcome. Our attitude is critical. In the midst of your trials – you have options. You can be miserable and angry and frustrated … or you can look for the lessons to be learned – or the way you’re being stretched and growing. You could look at your problems as a stumbling block or a stepping stone.

Third, you can be certain God has a purpose. The Scriptures say, “… knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance (patience). But let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.”

Rev. J. Hamby says that knowing that trials have a purpose can make a big difference in how you face the hard time that you’re going through. God has not abandoned you, no matter how you may “feel.”

Peter also reflects on the purpose of suffering when he says in 1 Peter 1:6-9, “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen, you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith – the salvation of your souls.”

According to James, enduring these tests produces certain characteristics in the people being tested. First, they become “mature” – not perfect, but spiritually mature. Second, they become “entire” – meaning whole and complete, fully developed, mature. Third, they are “lacking in nothing” meaning that God will provide everything they need to remain obedient in their lives of faith. “Strength for today … and bright hope for tomorrow.”

What good is faith unless it is tested and proved? And yet, we try to avoid being tested, don’t we? We don’t like it when we are tested, not even in school. Testing is a completely negative idea in our heads. But, James says, change your thinking.

James says that we consider the facing of our trials a joy. The NRSV translates the word (hegesasthe) as “consider.” Some scholars believe that is actually a little weak and doesn’t really get at the force of the word.

I “consider” what flavor of ice cream I want, or I “consider” which shirt I’m going to wear. There really isn’t a whole lot of thought that goes into it. James isn’t just asking us to take this idea lightly, but rather he’s stretching us to allow this way of thinking to completely rule or control our minds and our actions. “Trials = joy” must transform our minds and control our perception of everything we face.

If I said, “Raise your hand into the air.” That’s something that you can actually do. You can will your hand to rise up into the air. However, if I said, “Jump up and touch the moon.” That’s something you can’t do … no matter how much you may want to. James is asking us to change the way we think about our problems – to make the effort on our own – no one else can do it for us. It has to be a conscious decision we make in our mind.

Fourth, we were not intended to go through trials alone.

We don’t go through trials alone. We have God’s wisdom at our disposal. Verse five says, “If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given you.”

This wisdom is not just philosophical insight about how to handle life, but spiritual wisdom divinely given to you … wisdom that is beyond your own understanding – who doesn’t want that?

Many of us have heard this principle that suffering comes to perfect us (trials come to only make us strong). But how do we put that knowledge into practice in a specific situation of testing? What do we do? Do we stay where we are, or do we move elsewhere, do we look for release or do we expect God to fulfill us where we are? What do we do? James says, in a situation like that, ask God!

Fifth, God ultimately intends our trials to be a blessing.

James ends this section on trials by saying in verse twelve, “Blessed is anyone who endures (trials) temptation. Such a one has stood the test and will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who believe in God.”

You endured the test – bless you. “Blessed” means happy. Better yet, it means satisfied. Better yet, it means fulfilled with inner joy.

We all experience trials, but God has something great in mind, and James is calling us to see it.

Let me close by sharing this thought from Charles Spurgeon (the great preacher and theologian of the 1800s). “I have always looked back to times of trial with a kind of longing, not to have them return, but to feel the strength of God as I felt it then, to feel the power of faith as I felt it then, to hang on to God’s powerful arm as I hung on to it then, and to see God at work as I saw it then.”

What an attitude! Let that be your attitude as you count it all joy.

Rev. Dan Koeshall is the Senior Pastor at The Metropolitan Community Church (The Met) in San Diego, California, themetchurch.org.